Dawn of an Old Age
by MyDearWatson
Summary: Monkey D. Luffy disappeared from the world, leaving behind the One Piece he put everything on the line for. One hundred years has passed since and with the disappearance of the Pirate King, the Will of D has vanished from the world as well. The world has forgotten what the value of life and family is, but with the actions of one small woman, the Old Age of pirates begins to return.
1. Searching for Dead Pirates

**A/N:** What, what?! What is this?! Is it a new story?! Looks that way!

So the information and everything will be at the end of the chapter.

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Searching for Dead Pirates**

 **March 15 – Ten Years Ago**

He was sinking. The water rushing up around him at a faster pace due to the weight of his body. He felt weak in that moment. Not just because of the water all around him, but because of the emotional strain that came with being betrayed by your own crew.

He hadn't known why they had done it. He always thought that he stood for what a captain should be. He protected them and loved them like a family. He had made sure they were always fed and that they were always onto their next adventure for treasure. He had made sure to keep them out of the hands of the Marines and he always celebrated when a new bounty came in for them. He had made sure to bring the Spero Pirates to the top ranks of the pirate world and had expanded on their crew.

So what had gone wrong?

That was the only thing he could ask himself as he sunk down further into the deep waters of the Grand Line. He saw the images of his crew become blurry through the water, but he could still see their frowning faces, almost as if they had regretted what they had just done, but the smirking face of the woman who began the revolt against him tainted all those frowns.

He could feel himself finally began to struggle against his restraints at that smirk, but his beaten body from the fight earlier and the water around him made it useless. It didn't stop him from pulling skin and muscle against the chains around him in a vain attempt to reach her and pull her down with him. He would remember that face of hers and he would never forget to hate that face of hers. Even if he died now, he would make damn sure to forever stay in limbo to haunt her.

But then…would his ghost find its way to the surface of the water ever again? Everything suddenly felt useless at that thought and he let his body go slack. If his crew didn't want him, then what point was there in fighting to live? That was the thought that crossed his mind as he watched the woman's smirk fade away through the water.

It grew darker around him and he wouldn't last much longer without being able to breathe. He supposed he had a good run. He had become a captain and built up a pirate crew that was feared even in the Grand Line. But now it all just felt wrong. If he had been good enough…strong enough, then he wouldn't be here sinking into waters far from land or any help that would come to him. It was all wrong. If he had been a good captain, then he wouldn't have been betrayed in the first place. Everything in the pirate world had felt wrong for so long, but he had chosen to ignore those feelings and lead a crew in his naivety. Everything had been so wrong since Monkey D. Luffy had disappeared from the world, but he didn't want to believe in that fact. He wanted to believe that pirates were still families and would fight for each other, so that's how he led his crew. Though, he could only see now how wrong that ideal had been. It had only led to his death.

He could only wish that he had been born in a different time before he shut his eyes and let the darkness of death consume him.

But apparently even the Grim Reaper hadn't wanted him when he felt the sandy ground of a shoreline underneath him. He thought it might have been heaven at first, but no one was there to greet him. He at least thought his father would be there waiting for him, but there was nothing but the sand under him and the small ocean waves splashing up against his legs.

And then he heard a whisper of a voice.

It was familiar, but the close to death experience left his mind feeling faint and numb. He couldn't quite pick out where he knew it from, but because of the familiarity behind it, he knew he wasn't dead yet. And he couldn't understand the meaning behind the whisper, but it would be something that he would hold close to him, even if he never acted on it.

"This is not your ending. A new age must begin by bringing back an old age. Bring back the Will of D, Amos Valdovas."

 **. : + : .**

 **April 21 – Midday**

"Ten years is a long time," a young woman of twenty-five mumbled as she walked down a street while reading over one of the books from her pack, "I wonder if I'll find him. I hope so! I just can't believe that he's really dead!"

People moved away from her as she stopped to strike a pose in the middle of the street. The woman continued on her way, not realizing how embarrassing the situation should have been.

"And the East Blue has been interesting. From Monkey D. Luffy's time, it used to be considered the weakest of the Blues. Now it looks like it's the strongest, even on this island so far from the Grand Line," she continued rambling as she read over the same passages in her book.

She was currently in a town called Peach Town, simply named for the famous peaches it sold and traded throughout all the Blues. The town was the main city on an island known as Viridian Island. It seemed like a simple enough place that was fairly easy going. The people were nice enough and stopped to give her directions when she asked.

"As relaxing as this place may be, it seems kinda boring," she said, "Not the kind of place I'd expect him to be in. But I have to try! That nice lady back in the Grand Line said I'd have good chances of finding him in the East Blue!" she shouted, striking another pose before falling to the ground in defeat, "But it's been so long since I started my search and that lady was the only one who believed in me. What am I supposed to do?"

"Miss? Are you all right?"

The young woman looked up, peeking through her messy, dark red bangs to see another woman staring down at her in concern. She popped up off of the ground once she realized how long she had been laying there. She fixed her bangs back into place while tightening up the shoulder length hair that had been thrown up into a ponytail. Her dark green eyes shone happily in the sunlight as she faced the other woman.

"I'm great! Thanks for asking!" she answered.

"You seemed a bit down a moment ago."

"Well…yeah, I'm looking for someone and having some trouble. He's supposed to be in the East Blue somewhere though. I hope so anyways."

"Do you know which island? I could tell you how to get there if you need help."

"I don't know which island."

"I see. Do you have a description of this person?"

"I do! Well…sort of…"

"Then why don't you come into my shop for a peach milkshake and tell me about him? Maybe I can help point you in the right direction if I've heard of him."

"Really? I don't have much to spend on things like milkshakes though."

"It'll be my treat."

"Ohhhh! That's awesome! Then let's do it! Which way?!"

"You're rather excitable, aren't you?" the woman asked with a soft chuckle, "My name is Tanya by the way."

"And I'm Kronikka Michelle Jeanette Sunbury Daniels the third!" she said, standing proudly while Tanya stared at her in slight confusion, "But you can just call me Roni," she added, sticking her hand out towards the woman.

"Nice to meet you, Roni," Tanya said, now laughing at her previous introduction, "Follow me. My place is just a street over."

Soon enough, the two women stood in front of a small diner that was apparently famous for its milkshakes, from what Tanya had told Roni anyways.

"You own this whole place?! That's amazing!" Roni said, gawking over the simple diner,

"I bet you get to meet all kinds of people in a place like this!"

"It's just a small diner, really," Tanya said, "My dad started it and I took it over when I was old enough. Now, let's get you that milkshake."

Roni quickly followed the woman inside, sitting at one of the barstools along the long counter in the diner while Tanya made her way behind the counter to start on the shake. Roni continued looking around in amazement as if it had been the first time she had ever been in a diner.

"So I know it's mid-spring, but aren't you cold in those clothes?" Tanya asked.

Roni looked down at the jean shorts she wore along with the green tank top and black boots. Her black backpack sat next to her on another barstool. The redhead looked back up at the woman with a smile, "Nope! I rather like this clothing! And I don't really think about the weather too much anyways."

"If you say so," Tanya shrugged as she began her work on the milkshake, "So tell me about the person you're looking for."

"Oh yeah! Okay, so he probably hasn't been around much. Ten years ago was the last news sent out about him, so I know he's twenty-eight now and might look a little different. But he should still have blue hair."

"Do you happen to have a picture of him?"

"Yeah, but it's one from ten years ago."

"Then that should at least be something to work off of. Show it to me please."

Roni simply flipped to the front of the book she had been carrying with her and pulled out a rather old and tattered looking sheet of paper. She set it on the counter and slid it over to Tanya just as the woman slid the finished milkshake over to her. Tanya smiled at her before looking down at the paper. Her eyes went wide when she realized that it was a bounty poster that she was looking at.

"You're looking for a pirate?!"

"Yeah, but he's a nice guy."

Tanya read over the information on the bounty, her eyes staying glued on the name for several long moments, "Amos Valdovas…you know this man is dead, right? It was pretty big news from the Grand Line ten years ago, even all the way out here. Captain of the Spero Pirates, Amos Valdovas, was killed at sea."

"He's not dead. I'm going to find him!"

"I don't understand," Tanya said, "How do you know what this guy is like? And how do you know he's not dead?"

"Call it a hunch…?"

"That doesn't explain anything. And why would you go looking for a pirate anyways even if he wasn't dead? A small woman like you wouldn't stand a chance against them."

"We can't always believe what we're told, right? Sometimes we need to experience things on our own," Roni said with a sad smile, "I choose to believe that Amos is still alive and I'm going to find him."

"Why do you want to find him?"

"Because…his story made me feel alive when I didn't have a life."

Tanya watched her for a moment longer before sighing, "Well, I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen this man and you're probably not going to find him."

Roni shrugged at her, "You believe what you want, but one day you'll see him again. He's a super nice guy too!" she grinned, digging back into her milkshake just as the bell on the front door rang to indicate someone had entered the diner.

Tanya smiled gently at the figure that had entered her restaurant, "Rosco," she said, motioning for him to take a seat up at the counter as well, just a few seats down from Roni. The redhead looked over to see a tall form moving towards the stool. She assumed it to be a man from the name that Tanya had called him, but it was hard to tell under the layers of ragged clothing and the heavy brown cloak they wore, the hood even being up to cover most of their face aside from their mouth. Though, from the sharp, masculine jawline they had, Roni was pretty sure it was a man that sat just a few seats down from her.

Heavy boots clunked against the floor and when he sat down, the metal stool seemed to groan from an immense weight being pushed down on it. The man leaned forward on the counter, the tabletop seeming to groan under the same pressure as the stool.

"You want your usual?" Tanya asked.

The man only grunted in response, but Tanya didn't seem to take offense to it. She called back into the kitchen to get the cook moving with her order before turning back to look at Roni.

"Would you like something to eat too? I'm sure that just a milkshake won't fill your stomach properly."

"Sure, but like I said, I don't really have the funds to pay for a full meal right now."

"Don't worry about it," Tanya said, adding a second order of whatever she was having made for the mystery man, "You look like you need the food and I'm not letting a cute girl like you go hungry."

"Thanks Tanya! I really appreciate it! I'll find some way of paying you back."

"You can pay me back by stopping your search of pirates. You'll only get yourself hurt if you do."

"I can't do that! I told you that I'm going to find him!"

The man seemed to glance over at Roni from under his hood at the mention of pirates. Roni seemed to feel his stare on her since she turned to look at him then. She cocked her head to one side as the two simply stared at each other for a full minute. Roni soon smiled widely at him, seeming to surprise him from the way he sat up a bit straighter in response. The redhead opened her mouth to finally introduce herself, but she was quickly cut off when the door to the diner was thrown open hard.

"Yo! Tanya!" a gruff voice shouted as a large man with a long beard and mustache stepped into the diner with several other men following him, though none of them being quite as big as the head man, "You got the boss's money today?!"

Tanya glared at the man that had barged his way into her restaurant, "Good afternoon to you too, Lazlo."

"We can cut the pleasantries today. Do you have the money or not? You know the boss dislikes waiting. You must be in his good graces though, considering he's let you off the hook since you took the place over from your father."

"You can tell that boss of yours the same thing I told him last month," Tanya answered, defiance still shining in her eyes, "My father's debt is not my own. If he wants his money, then take it up with my father."

"That may be true, but his debts were for building this place," Lazlo smirked, "And seeing on how you own it now, that makes the debt yours now too. Maybe if I give a bit of an incentive, you'll pay up quicker," he said, nodding to two of men to his right. They moved towards a booth and threw the table across the room before flicking out knives and tearing into the cushioned seats, white fluff beginning to pop out from the sleek red covering.

"Stop that!" Tanya shouted.

"Then pay up, Tanya," Lazlo said, "Unless you want it to keep happening to all your pretty little booths here."

Tanya stayed silent with his threat and just as he was about to make the motion for his men to move onto the other booths, a hard kick was connected with his shin. Small tears welled up in the corners of his eyes from the sharp pain made to his leg bone right before he let out a shout.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Stop tearing up Tanya's diner!" Roni shouted, the small girl glaring up at the man with her cheeks puffed out in irritation.

"Roni! What are you doing?!" Tanya asked, staring at the girl in fear and worry.

"I'm making him stop," Roni said simply, "You gave me a milkshake and you were going to give me a meal too. And you're a nice lady, so it's not right for him to mess up your place. You love this place, right?"

"Well yes, but…"

"Then I'll make him stop," she said with a bright smile.

"What's a little pipsqueak like you gonna do?" Lazlo asked as he picked her up by the back of her shirt, lifting her up so they would be looking face to face with each other.

"You're a rude man!" Roni shouted as she grabbed onto the sides of his long mustache and pulled down hard. The man yelped and threw Roni backwards, the young woman landing on top of the stool she had previously been sitting on.

"Get her!" Lazlo ordered, the group of men he had brought with him instantly lunging for the redhead.

Roni stuck her tongue out at the men as she bounded off of the stool and ran across the line of them that faced the long counter, "I'm Kronikka Libby Helena Bosworth Harriett the sixteenth! There's no way you can catch me!"

A deadpan stare came over Tanya's face briefly at Roni's newest introduction to herself before the worried look took over again as Roni came to the end of the barstools and the men all jumped for her at once, piling on top of the stool and breaking it from the weight and force of their fall.

"Roni!" Tanya shouted.

"Yo!"

Tanya jumped when she heard the voice right next to her. She looked down to see Roni smiling up at her, "How did you get over here?!"

"It's magic!" Roni said, waving her hands in the air as sparkles appeared in the air around her.

"Why are you so weird?!"

"Magic, magic, magic!"

"It's not the time for that!" Tanya shouted, yanking Roni into a headlock.

Roni began laughing in response before she quickly ducked down as Lazlo tried to make a grab for her, "We'll have to finish our wrestling match later, Tanya! Now's not the time for that!"

Tanya only felt her eye twitch in response to the redhead's comment.

Lazlo and his men began to chase Roni around the diner, the men jumping over each other in a desperate attempt to catch her. Though, Roni was much smaller and quicker than the rest of them, making it fairly easy for her to evade them all while laughing at their horrible attempts of capturing her. Just as she was rounding back towards the stool Rosco was sitting at, Lazlo used his anger and frustration to jump forward to land right in front of her. Roni was caught off guard, leaving herself open to be punched hard in the gut and slam into Rosco's back. Roni was sure that it felt like she had smacked into steel rather than a person, but it was hard to think about much with the air being knocked out of her lungs. She began to slide down to the floor, but was caught before she spilled out across it. She felt a solid arm around her waist, the redhead looking down and following the arm up to see it belonged to the cloaked man she had yet to even say hello to.

"You all right?" Rosco grunted.

Roni nodded at him, "Thanks for catching me. You're a nice guy," she said with a smile aimed up at him.

Rosco went quiet again at her comment, a strange feeling filling him at that smile. The only person who had ever smiled at him for several years had been Tanya, so it was hard for him to take in such a bright smile aimed right at him, especially when the woman had no idea who he was. His thoughts were soon cut off when he felt the presence of Lazlo walking up towards him.

"Give her to me, you bum," Lazlo said as he reached out for the redhead.

Something ignited in Rosco when he saw the thug reaching out for Roni. He hadn't felt the need to protect anything for a long time, but something about the small girl brought those instincts out in him. While he normally let Lazlo and the punks that followed him do as they pleased, even when they pushed him around out in the streets of Peach Town, there was something about the man messing with the redhead beside him that made him sick to his stomach. Maybe it had been the smiles she so easily sent his way or the way she so quickly stood up for Tanya because it was the right thing to do or maybe it was because she was just so small compared to the men around them. Whatever it was, it caused him to throw a hand out and grip it around Lazlo's wrist.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lazlo asked with a growl, "You think a bum like you is gonna have any better chance against me than this pipsqueak here?" he said, pointing at Roni, who only stuck her tongue out at him again.

Rosco only gripped the wrist in his hand tighter in response, instantly seeing the ripple of pain cross Lazlo's face.

"What are you doing?!" Lazlo shouted, "What kind of freak are you?!"

Rosco stood up then, the stool he had been sitting on groaning in relief from the lifted pressure of his body, "You're leaving. Now," he said evenly as he began to walk Lazlo towards the door.

"I ain't leaving without the money!"

"Leave. And don't come back," Rosco continued as he reeled a fist back before slamming it right into Lazlo's face. The crowd in the restaurant could hear bone cracking when the hit was made and it easily sent Lazlo flying out of the front door. The large man landed heavily on the ground, blood already spilling from his nose. Rosco turned to face the rest of the men in the diner, "Get out," he said, the men hearing the warning tone in his voice. And with not wanting to end up like their leader, the men ran out of the diner.

Lazlo held his nose tightly with blood pouring over his fingers, knowing that it was broken. He scrambled back to his feet and glared at Rosco, his voice slightly muffled sounding from the broken nose, "You'll pay for this, you bum! Just you wait!"

Rosco began to walk out of the diner, quickly scaring off Lazlo as he did so, the man most likely running back to his home base where his boss was waiting for him. Rosco then turned back into the diner and moved to take his previous seat again, the stool once again groaning from his weight.

Tanya stood staring at the cloaked man in surprise while Roni ran up to him with her eyes shimmering in awe.

"That was amazing!" Roni announced.

Rosco looked down towards her with a straight face, not really paying attention to the compliment she had just given him, "Are you okay?" he asked again, knowing the punch she had taken must have hurt her quite a bit.

"Oh, I'm fine!" she answered, lifting up her shirt to show off her stomach, "There's a bruise, but nothing Kronikka Marybeth Olivia Jenkins Pine the fifth can't handle!"

Tanya once again found herself with a deadpan stare while Rosco appeared a bit flustered, moving to put the redhead's arms down to cover herself again.

Roni only smiled in response before turning towards Tanya, "But we really should be asking if you're okay, Tanya! It was your restaurant they messed up."

"Yes, they did," Tanya answered, frowning over at the destroyed booth, "But I am grateful for the both of you being here and standing up for me," she said, turning a smile on the two of them now, "But honestly Roni, you should be more careful against men like that. They were much bigger than you and if Rosco hadn't been here…"

"I bounce back really quick!" Roni said, striking a pose, "They never would have stood a chance against me if I had unleashed all of my evasive powers! Never underestimate me!"

Tanya chuckled lightly at the woman's antics, "Well thank you. Both of you."

"You're welcome!" Roni said while Rosco simply nodded at her, "But…"

"What is it?"

"Well, even though they were chased off today, that won't really fix your problem, will it?"

Tanya frowned again at the redhead's question, "No, I suppose not. They'll just keep coming back and they'll be angry next time."

"Well then!" Roni began, striking another victory pose, "We'll just have to stop them from coming back!"

"What?!" Tanya said, staring at the small woman in surprise, "You can't possibly think that you can go against those thugs alone! This town may seem peaceful, but that's because everyone listens to Kline and pays what they owe for the loans they've taken from him."

"Kline? Who's Kline?"

"He's Lazlo's boss. He's the guy that runs this town. Basically he's the best loan shark you'll find in the East Blue."

"And so how'd you get mixed up with him? You don't seem to be the type to be that stupid."

Tanya sighed before she answered, "When my father wanted to open this diner, he didn't have the money to do it, so he took a loan from Kline, but then he never seemed to ever make enough money to pay it back."

"So then you got stuck when you took over the place," Roni said, nodding her head before she smiled widely again, "Then it's decided for sure! I'll free you and your town from Kline and his thugs!"

"Roni, you can't be serious!" Tanya said, "You're a sweet girl, but there's no need for you to go getting mixed up in something that you have nothing to do with. You'll either be killed or captured by Kline and forced to work for him."

"Remember, we can't always believe everything at face value," Roni said, "And I told you to never underestimate me! If I say I'm going to do something, then I'm doing it! Plus, this seems like fun!"

"It doesn't matter if it's fun or not, you are one small woman against a crew full of nasty men who only care about themselves and money. What are you planning on doing?"

"Have faith, Tanya," Roni said with another bright smile as she jumped onto Rosco's back, "Besides, I'm not doing this alone. Rosco will be coming with me too!"

Rosco spit out the food the cook had finally brought over to him, having to hit his chest a few times to clear his throat, "What?" he finally asked.

"Well yeah, you totally knocked that guy on his butt! You'll come in handy during the invasion!" she said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Invasion?" Tanya and Rosco asked.

"Yep! We're gonna hit them head on!"

Tanya and Rosco both stared flatly at the redhead, sweat drops falling down their heads as she rambled on excitedly about how the attack would go, 'How is she even still alive?' they both thought as Roni pulled out a notebook from her backpack and began writing her plans down.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it.

So! This is my first time writing in the One Piece fandom ever, so hopefully it turned out nicely. I greatly enjoyed myself with this first chapter and I'm super (SUPER) excited for this story!

So a bit of an explanation (especially for readers of my Fairy Tail stories). This story has been in the works since July. I've been collecting and making characters and plotting out a ton of things for this story before I decided to write it. That and trying to get caught up with One Piece as well…it's been taking so long! But I feel like I'm far enough into the series to start this and this story has been plaguing my thoughts for a long while now that I finally couldn't take it anymore! I'm so excited! CHA! So I welcome all new readers to this story as well as any readers that follow my current stories! I hope you all enjoy it!

As a side note, all characters in this chapter have been created by myself. Any characters that are used that are not my own creation will be credited just how I do with my Fairy Tail stories.

And on that note, this is an SYOC story. HOWEVER, I do have all of the main crew members. So please do not ask if you can send one in for the main crew. If ever I feel like I want to add to the main crew, I will make that announcement, but at this point in time I do NOT need anymore main crew members. Now then, this does not mean you cannot send in other characters, such as Marines, Shichibukai, rookie captains, villains and the like (although, all Yonko positions have been taken). When I need these characters or you are interested in sending in any, please PM me or I will PM you. This way I can send you over the form and any information I need to send with it, such as types of powers or fruits that I need or don't need. I think that's why I planned out a lot ahead of time so I wouldn't have any repeats of fruits or whatnot. So again, please, if you are interested in sending in a character, please PM me. Any type of character that is sent in through a review will be right out. That gives away everything about the character and it ruins it for the other readers. So again, I will only accept characters through a PM.

Next! I would like to thank Origm2012 and TheSilversmithAlchemist for getting me started on this story as they were both the ones to basically plant it into my head way back when. I would also like to thank those of you that have been working with me on this story since July behind the scenes with characters and ideas since they definitely helped to move things along.

And then a giant thank you as always to my lovely Beta – Dreadburner94. Seriously, I can't thank this guy enough for being with me through Thunder Stone, Storm's Helm and now this story. He's a huge support and my stories wouldn't be the same without him! So thank you again for sticking it out with me!

Another note! I don't know how quickly members will show up as I am trying to pace it out. So basically I don't want five crew members to appear in like ten chapters, lol. It'll be more spaced out, much like One Piece is when Luffy is first starting his crew. So I'd say to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I've seen and read a few other SYOC or OC crew stories for One Piece and they have greatly intrigued me (considering I write SYOC guild stories for Fairy Tail, lol). So this is my take on creating my own crew and story line to go with them, so hopefully it turns out well!

Hmm, I don't believe I have anything else to add to the Author's Notes for now…I'll probably remember something after I post this, haha!

And I actually just remembered something! Haha! So the main category for this story is Adventure...for obvious reasons. My second category is Romance as I do usually have some sort of flare of this in my stories. With that being said, I'm not sure how quickly any of the romance I have planned will happen and not all characters will end up with someone, so please do keep this in mind.

So with that, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and hopefully I'll have the next one up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	2. I Know You Exist!

**A/N:** YAS! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: I Know You Exist!**

 **April 21 – Midday**

Rosco wore an unamused frown from under his hood as he felt the small figure of Roni crawl all over him. They had recently left Tanya's diner after finishing their meals and Roni had demanded that he lead the way to Kline's base of operations. The redhead had also insisted that he give her a ride there since he was just so tall and she believed that she'd be able to see the world from his shoulders. Though, the movement across his body was starting to annoying him, especially since he hadn't been in close contact with someone for years. It made him feel anxious and it brought back memories he thought he had forgotten. When she finally got too close to pulling his hood down, he reached for her and pulled her up off of him by her backpack.

"I think that's enough," he grumbled as he sat her back on the ground.

"You're no fun!" she said, but fell into step with him nonetheless…or at least she had tried to. With every long stride he took, she would have to take two or three of her own to keep up with him, "Hey! Would you slow down already!"

Rosco stopped and looked back to see her leap forward to catch up with him, "You want to get there quickly, right?"

"Well yeah, but you won't let me ride on you and now you're taking giant steps."

"They're normal steps."

"Giant steps!"

Rosco sighed as he rubbed a hand across his face.

Roni cocked her head to the side for a moment and spoke again before he could respond to her, "Why do you wear that hood? Does the sunlight make you sick or something?"

He looked back down at her with another straight face, staying quiet for a long moment before he began moving forward again, though this time at a slower pace in order for her to keep up with him.

"Rosco!" she called out as she jumped into step with him, "Are you going to answer me?!"

"I just like the hood. That's all."

"I see."

Rosco glanced down again in slight surprise, "I think that's the first time I've heard you stop talking about something on your own accord."

The redhead shrugged in response, "I guess I can understand this one. I don't go anywhere without my backpack. It'd feel weird. So if you feel weird without the hood, then I'll leave it alone."

"What's in the backpack?"

"Oh! So you finally decided to ask a question?! I was beginning to worry that you didn't know how to ask one."

"Keep making comments like that and I won't ever ask one again."

Roni puffed her cheeks out in irritation briefly before answering him, "It's where I keep all my books! And my own book!"

"Your own book?"

"Uh-huh! I'm writing down everything I go through everyday and all the things I've learned! I'm going to make it into a series one day! The Adventures of the Great and Amazing Kronikka! It'll be a best seller! And everyone will know me!"

"You want the world to know you?"

"I do! Everyone will know I exist!"

Rosco was quiet for a long moment before he spoke in a low tone, "Sometimes it's better not to be known at all."

A serious look crossed Roni's face as she moved to stand in front of Rosco, bringing the large man to a halt, "Everyone needs to be known! Even if it's just by one person! Everyone needs to know they exist!"

A deep frown etched its way across his face, "I don't need to be known."

"Well too bad Rosco because I know you! If anything, I'll be the one person that remembers that you exist! You may not think much of yourself, but I'll prove your importance and existence in my books!"

Rosco went quiet out of sheer shock as he watched Roni huff at him and turn to begin walking down the street again. He never imagined that one small woman would shake his world so easily, but there she was storming away from him…in the wrong direction.

"Oi!" he called out to her when the last thought registered in his mind, "You're going the wrong way!"

Roni stopped mid-step and turned to the left.

"Wrong! That leads into a bar!"

Roni quickly turned to walk the opposite direction.

"Still wrong! That's a solid wall!"

Roni slunk down the wall she had just walked up to with large streams of tears running down her face as she went on about how she was now trapped. Rosco could only sigh heavily again as he began making his way towards her to get her "unstuck" and on the right path again.

 **. : + : .**

Lazlo stood in front of his boss, shifting from one foot to another nervously.

Kline had been silent since Lazlo had told him about what had happened at Tanya's place. He sat at a large, wooden desk within a plush, black leather chair. His office was filled with artwork and antiques that only top money could buy from all the different Blues. And Kline himself appeared to be dressed in top dollar clothing. His black hair was slicked back neatly and his violet eyes were sharp and cunning. He was dressed in a pressed, light gray suit with a lavender tie and shined, black dress shoes. On his left wrist was a large, silver watch that had diamonds embedded into it.

He sat with his fingers laced together and his chin lightly propped on top of them, his eyes fixed on the man in front of him. He felt disgust rise up in him by the blood that covered the man's face and hands, wishing he had taken the time to clean up before coming to his office. It didn't help quell the anger that was slowly surging through him for his failure in obtaining the money that Tanya owed.

"So," Kline began, easing back into his chair, but keeping his focused gaze on Lazlo, "You mean to tell me that a tiny woman and a bum ran you out of the restaurant?"

"You don't understand, sir!" Lazlo said, "That guy, he-"

"I don't care to hear your excuses," Kline interrupted him, annoyance lacing his words, "Simply answer my question."

"Yes sir," Lazlo said, looking down at the floor, "I was chased off by those two."

"I see," Kline said with a sigh. He rolled his chair backwards and stood while straightening his clothes out. He began walking around his large office, glancing over all the expensive collectibles he had while holding his hands behind his back, "You do remember how you were able to move up into positions, don't you, Lazlo?"

"Well…yes…when the last man left…"

"And you do know exactly how he left, correct?" he asked, but the bearded man across from him stayed silent, "It was a forced leave of absence. Do you understand that?"

"I do, sir, but…but you don't have to worry about that happening to me. I'll get the money."

"When you stutter through words, it does not make me feel confident in you, Lazlo," Kline said as he turned to finally face the man, "I assure you, you do not want to find out first hand exactly what happened to the man that failed to retrieve my money the last time. So you better make sure that I do not see you again until you have it. Or else," he said, flicking his wrist ever so slightly. Lazlo didn't even know what was happening until the blade that had been thrown had sliced across his cheek and embedded itself into the wall behind him, "You will have a forced leave of absence as well."

Lazlo could barely nod his head at the man in front of him due to the fear he felt. The tension in the room soon broke when they heard a loud noise go off from the front of the building. Kline narrowed his eyes towards the noise before looking back towards Lazlo.

"Well," he began, his tone sharp, "Go look into what is going on. And remember to not return to my office until you have the money that Miss Tanya owes me."

Lazlo nodded again before running out the door.

 **. : + : .**

"What exactly do you plan to do?" Rosco asked when they had arrived at the correct building, sighing as he yet again had to pull the redhead off of him and set her back onto the ground.

Roni looked up with wide eyes at the large mansion that she had been brought to. It towered over the other houses easily with its three stories and the Victorian style architecture it had compared to the simple one story, ranch homes that were around it. The roofing was a solid black color while the paneling of the building was a sage green. Large, bay windows covered the mansion along with an elongated porch that held cushioned, wicker chairs.

"It's so pretty!" she said, "It almost makes me sad that we'll have to blow it up!"

"Um…what?"

"Well how else do you think we'll get in silly?"

"Kicking the door open works just fine too."

"But that's no fun!"

"You can't blow up a building."

"And why not? These people threatened Tanya!"

Rosco sighed yet again as he ran a hand over his face, "The other people and buildings around here could get hurt in the process."

"Oh…right…"

"I think you need to work on your social awareness."

"Still, I want to use something on this building."

"Would you at least try to open the door like a normal person first."

"Fine, fine. I'll knock on the door first and then blow it up!"

A sweat drop rolled down the side of his head as he stared down at the small woman next to him, watching her rummage through her backpack. She soon pulled out a small piece of string, a lighter and a small, red ball.

"This won't make a large explosion, but it'll do," she said as she began making her way towards the door.

Rosco quickly recognized what the red ball was, "Is that a cherry bomb? Where did you get something like that?"

"It is and I made it myself!"

"What?"

"Yeah, they're super easy to make! You just need a ping pong ball, hot glue, some flash powder, water-"

"Tanya was right," Rosco said, effectively cutting her off, "You are a weird girl."

"No, I just remember everything I read."

"And you read up on bomb making?"

"I've read up on lots of things. And now I get to start putting them into practice!"

Rosco could only stare at her in response as she continued making her way up towards the door. She quickly tied the cherry bomb around the doorknob before knocking lightly once on the door, the knock being light enough to ensure no one would hear it which only caused Rosco to roll his eyes from under his hood. Roni then lit up the short fuse of the bomb before jumping off the porch and making her way back towards Rosco. She had enough time to grab her backpack and sling it over her shoulders before the bomb went off and busted the door off of its hinges. She didn't even give the smoke time to clear as she grabbed onto one of Rosco's hands and pulled him along with her. She jumped up onto the porch, causing Rosco to jump up too. Though, the wood of the porch broke under his weight, causing him to trip through the open doorway, which in turn caused Roni to trip and summersault into the front parlor of the mansion. She came sprawling to a stop, her head spinning for a moment until she could focus on all the glaring faces around her. She soon realized that the faces belonged to the men that had been with Lazlo earlier, plus some.

"We did it!" she shouted as she popped back to her feet.

"Yeah, you sure as hell did it," one of the men said, smirking darkly as he began reaching out for her.

Roni only smiled in response as she ducked out of the way of his hand, "Gotta be quicker than that if you want to catch Kronikka Dorothy Lynn Caldwell Holmes the twenty-fifth!" she said as she began bouncing around the circle of men as they all tried to catch her. As she jumped around, she shoved a hand into her pocket to pull out a large, gray ball, "This is great! I finally get to try the things I've made! Ninja Flash Bomb!" she shouted as she slammed the ball down in the middle of the chaotic crowd. A large flash went off before gray smoke began to fill the area, causing the angry men to become confused and fall over one another. Roni had jumped out of the smoke cloud, laughing as she began making her way further into the mansion.

Rosco had finally picked himself up out of the crater in the porch he had made. He had looked up in time to see Roni slam the gray ball on the floor and the gray smoke to expand outwards. His eyes flitted around the front parlor, trying to find the small redhead. He inwardly sighed in relief when he saw her pop out of the smoke, but the relief he had felt quickly grew to annoyance when he saw her running down a long hallway in the house. She didn't even know where to go and he was sure he was going to lose her now and he would have to track her down. Though, that apparently wasn't going to happen when he saw a rather large mallet swing out from one of the side hallways. His eyes widened at the size of it, the flathead of it being large enough to cover the entirety of Roni's stomach and chest.

Roni had rushed into the mansion too quickly and had been feeling a bit overconfident about her work with the previous group of men, that she hadn't been watching her surroundings; so when the hammer came flying out from a side hallway, she had no time to duck or jump over it. The flat portion of the mallet slammed right into her front side, not only knocking the air out of her again, but more than likely cracking a rib or two as well. She felt the pain shoot through her body as she was slung backwards, her body toppling over itself before sliding to a stop near the circle of men that had fallen on top of each other. The smoke from earlier had cleared and the men were pulling themselves back up to their feet, glaring daggers down at the woman sprawled out before them.

"Capture her this time!" Lazlo shouted, stepping out from the side hallway while lifting the mallet up onto his shoulder.

The men didn't need to be told a second time and they began to move in on the woman. Though, they were barely able to move two inches towards her when the front line of them were suddenly launched into the air and through the ceiling by the plank of wood they stood on. The rest of the group looked over to see Rosco had slammed a foot down onto the floorboard and had been the cause of the men being thrown into the ceiling.

"Dammit! She brought you with her?!" Lazlo shouted as he pulled out a pistol, "We'll just have to get rid of you both the old fashioned way! No one will miss a bum or a woman no one knows!"

His words hit Rosco hard since Roni had just told him earlier that day about how even someone like him was known, if only by one person. And Tanya knew they had come here. If they didn't come back, at least one person would know that they were gone and Rosco was sure she would be sad over it. They would be missed, even if it was only by a single person. And he understood the weight of losing someone. Even if they weren't the closest of friends, it would still be a loss and he didn't want Tanya to feel that weight.

With those thoughts filling him movements, Rosco made his way over towards Roni right before Lazlo shot off the gun. He shot off two bullets, Rosco throwing up a single arm as he picked up Roni with the other. The bullets hit his arm, but they quickly bounced off his arm with loud pings of metal against metal. Two thin lines of smoke rose off his arm, the holes now in his clothes showing off a brief sheen of silver on his arm before it disappeared.

Lazlo's jaw dropped at the lack of wounds on the man and the strange thing that had just happened with his arm, "You really are a freak!"

"Like I haven't heard that before," Rosco mumbled as he set Roni up on her feet, "Can you stand on your own for now?"

"I'll be okay," she said with a nod.

"Stay close to me if you need to."

Though, just as he had gotten those words out, Roni had moved back towards the group of men she had faced previously, "I'll deal with these guys so you can focus on the rude man back there!" she said, smiling at him despite the pain he was sure she felt.

Rosco almost wanted to argue with her about her decision, but she seemed confident enough in dealing with the underlings. And he did need the help in keeping them distracted so he could fully focus on Lazlo. He grunted out a 'be careful' before turning back towards the large man down the hallway. He soon began moving towards him in a determined stride, causing Lazlo to shoot off a few more bullets. Rosco didn't bother dodging them, the bullets plinking off of his chest much like the ones on his arm had. Lazlo began shaking in fear as Rosco came to stand in front of him, almost seeming to tower over him.

"You lose," was all he said, slamming a fist into the nose he had broken earlier before beginning a full assault on the man.

 **. : + : .**

Kline only frowned at the situation that was going on in his front parlor from the television screen he had in his office. He knew he should have known better than to trust Lazlo and all the other men to get things done. Though, the abilities that the bum on the screen had shown were quite surprising and he would have to think of a way to convince the man to join his group. With a strength like that, he would be able to expand to other islands like he had planned to do for the past few years. He mulled over ways to get the bum to work for him and soon a wicked smile covered his face.

"It has been quite some time since I paid Tanya a personal visit," he said as he stood from his desk and straightened out his clothes again, "It would be rude of me to ask for her money and not do that in person. And as they say, if you want something done right, you should do it yourself," he finished with another dark smirk before walking out of his office and towards the back entrance of the mansion.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

So I had a good portion of this chapter written for a bit, but then the holiday happened, so I had to put a hold on things. But I was determined to get this finished today before I go home tonight and continue marathon-ing the game one of my roommates and I have been playing for a bit now. That's been taking up a good portion of my time too, lol.

I would like to thank all of you that reviewed the previous chapter! I very much appreciate them!

And I would also like to thank those of you that have sent in a character or will be sending one in!

So as a note, there is only one Shichibukai position left. And one Rookie Captain position left. The Marine positions are all still open for the most part I believe. If you have interest in any Marine positions, please PM about them. And just to reiterate, I will only accept characters through a PM.

That should be it for this time around.

I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	3. Blue Steel Amos

**A/N:** CHA! A new update!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Blue Steel Amos**

 **April 21 – Midday**

"Oh wow!" Roni said as she poked Lazlo's bruised and bloodied face with her right foot, "You really did a number on him."

Rosco only grunted in reply as he finished wiping off his hands the best he could of blood with an old cloth from his pocket. Once he was done with the rag, he threw it over his shoulder, smacking Lazlo in the face and earning a slight twitch from his beaten body.

"You're really something, Rosco!" Roni continued, "Why are you living on the streets when you could be making money at those cage fighting games that have become so popular recently?"

"I don't want to beat people for money," he answered, though he kept his real reason to himself for not doing anything else with his life aside from bumming around town. He then looked over towards the group of men that Roni had been fighting while he had focused on Lazlo. His eyes widened slightly when he saw all of them piled up on the floor of the front parlor, all of them with their eyes whited out, "Looks like you're the bigger surprise here," he said, motioning towards the group of unconscious men.

Roni jumped to stand in front of the pile of men, "This was a piece of cake! If you study the human body, then you'll know exactly where all the pressure points are! These goons weren't fast enough to evade Kronikka Morgan Shelly Hightower Waters the forty-ninth!"

Rosco simply stared at her for a short moment in reply before he turned to start walking down the long hallway in the mansion, his focus now on finding the man in charge of the place. Though, he only took a few steps before his foot found a weak spot in the flooring and it went straight through it, causing him to trip over himself again. He sighed heavily after face planting against the floor, suddenly remembering why he hated going into houses so much. And it only made his mood worse when he felt Roni jump on top of his back and sit down on him.

"You break floors an awful lot," she said, tapping an index finger against her chin, "And come to think of it, how did you block those bullets earlier? I know they hit you, but they just bounced right off of you."

"You heard Lazlo. I'm a freak."

"No, I don't think so," she said before realization dawned on her, "Ohhhhhhh! You're a Devil Fruit user, aren't you?!"

Rosco's body tensed up at her declaration, knowing now that getting mixed up in all this business was a bad idea, "I don't know what you're talking about," he said as he pushed himself up and forced Roni to slide off of him. He yanked his foot out of the hole he had created and continued on his way down the hall.

"But you do know what I'm talking about!" she said as she ran after him, "There's no other way you could have deflected those bullets! So let's see…which one do you use? The Barrier Barrier Fruit could do the trick, but that doesn't feel right. Is there a Reflect Reflect Fruit? I should know this. I studied Devil Fruits for a long time too."

"How many things have you studied in your life?" Rosco asked in hopes that it would distract her from thinking about Devil Fruits. He began opening doors to look inside the rooms for any sign of Kline, but so far he was coming up empty handed.

"I've studied and read up on just about everything there is to read," Roni answered, her smile dropping momentarily, "I had a long time to read things," she said, staring at the floor as she spoke. Though, she quickly shook off the sadness and loneliness she felt and returned to smiling up at the man, "Plus, I have a photographic memory!"

"Of course you do."

"You make it sound like a bad thing," she said with her cheeks puffed out in irritation, "That memory of mine just helped you out back there with those goons."

Rosco bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from mentioning that she had been the one to cause all that chaos by blowing the door open with her cherry bomb. Instead, he continued focusing on all the doors in the hallway until he had opened all of them and now stood in front of a staircase leading downstairs. He made no hesitation on taking the stairs, knowing that more than likely Kline's office would be down there rather than upstairs. He had picked up over the years that people like Kline liked to keep their dark and dirty work in similarly dark places.

"And don't try to change the subject here!" Roni continued, following him down the stairs, "I know you've eaten a fruit, so why not tell which one it is?!"

"Quiet," he said as they came down to the basement floor, a light shining from under a door just a few feet from them.

Roni was about to retort to his demand, but her eyes quickly caught the shining light as well. She watched as Rosco walked straight up to the door and slammed a foot against the door, easily breaking it open and leaving it hanging on a single hinge. He walked into the large and plush office with Roni squeezing her way passed him to gawk at the expensive looking office.

"Looks like this is the place we're looking for," Roni said.

"But it doesn't have the man we're looking for," Rosco said as he peered around the room to see that it was completely empty of the boss or any of his workers.

"So then where did he go?" Roni asked as she started poking at some of the collectibles in the room, "I wonder if this guy knows some of this stuff if fake," she added, having studied up on plenty of historical artifacts over the years to know what was real and what was fake, "It's almost disappointing to know that we're going up against someone so stupid. How has he managed to stay in business for so long if he can't even tell a real relic from a fake one?"

Rosco almost laughed at the fact that the weird, tiny woman next to him was making fun of a man that was supposed to be a cunning loan shark. Though, he ended up swallowing that laugh when he saw a knife imbedded into the large, wooden desk. He walked up to the desk, the knife seeming out of place in the pristine office. Rosco was fairly certain that a man like Kline wouldn't damage his belongings like that without good reason. And he was proven correct as his face whitened when he looked down to see the knife pierced through a picture of Tanya.

"Shit," he said as he turned from the picture and ran out of the room.

Roni quirked an eyebrow at his reaction, moving towards the desk to look at what he had seen. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the picture of Tanya, the redhead bolting out of the office as well to follow after Rosco.

 **. : + : .**

Kline was sitting at the bar of Tanya's restaurant, calmly sipping at some tea as he waited for the pair that attacked his mansion to arrive. He knew that leaving that calling card behind in his office would have them racing here. He glanced up at the clock on the wall and knew it would only be a matter of minutes before they arrived, knowing that Lazlo and his other lackeys would keep them busy for only so long. He really needed to look into hiring more capable men and he would start with forcing the bum to work for him.

His straight face soon slid into a smirk as he heard the bell at the front door rattle rather hard, indicating the door had been thrown open. He also knew the bum had to be the one that had thrown the door open when he heard heavy footsteps approaching him and a hand reach out towards the back of his head, Kline assuming it meant to slam his face against the countertop.

"I would back off if I were you," Kline said, pointing over towards the wall next to the kitchen door.

Rosco looked over to see Tanya pressed up against the wall with at least twenty, six inch blades pointed at her. She glanced over at Rosco with panic filled eyes, but kept quiet out of fear of being pierced with one of the blades.

"How are you doing that?" Rosco asked, his voice low.

"You are not the only one with special abilities," Kline answered, keeping is back to Rosco as he continued drinking his tea, "I was not expecting to meet another Devil Fruit user this far out in the East Blue. It is quite a pleasant surprise and a nice change of pace from men like Lazlo."

"You ate one?"

"Of course. How do you think I have been able to control so much for so long here on Viridian?" Kline said, setting down his tea cup, "I ate the Blade Blade Fruit and am now a blade man," he said, flicking his wrist to shoot out a blade to have it land in the wall next to Tanya's head, eliciting a yelp from the woman.

"Your henchman's bullets didn't work on me, so how do you expect your blades to do anything?"

"Oh, I am quite aware of how well Lazlo fared against you," Kline grinned as he turned to finally face Rosco, "That is why I am using Miss Tanya over there as leverage in this game."

"What do you want?"

"I will make this very simple. I want you to become my right hand man. In exchange for your employment, I will let Miss Tanya live. And as an added bonus, I will wipe her debt clean as well."

"Like hell I'll work for a man like you."

"It is not surprising that you would give me a reply like that, but I can assure you that the flick of my wrist will happen long before you are able to get to Miss Tanya to save her."

"I could just snap your wrist."

"Ah, but you see, the heavens were kind enough to give me two wrists to use, so you are more than welcome to break one. It will not stop the other one from sending the blades straight into the young woman's body. Do you want blood like that on your hands?"

"My hands are already stained red."

"Well then, do you really want to add to your collection? You do not seem to be the type of man that kills innocent people."

Rosco glared at the man before him for assuming to know what kind of man he was. Though, he knew he had to keep the man busy long enough for Roni to make to Tanya and get her out of harm's way. The redhead had managed to sneak in after him when he threw the door open and she had slowly been sneaking her way over towards the trapped woman. She was just about a foot away from Tanya when a blade came flying down in front of her face, causing her to jump back with a surprised squeak.

"Excuse me! That wasn't very nice!" Roni shouted, popping up on her feet.

"Please do not take me for a fool like the men under me," Kline said, "You thought I would not notice her the moment you both entered the restaurant?"

"Well when you don't even know when half of that collection in your office is fake, I thought there would be a good chance that you wouldn't notice me either," Roni said.

Kline twitched in irritation as he glanced over at the small woman, "My collection is real."

"Yeah, real fake!" Roni huffed, "Even that watch you're wearing is cheap. I don't know who is selling you stuff, but you really should get a better man to do it. They're ripping you off."

Kline glared at the redhead for a moment before he produced a blade and slammed it down onto one of the diamonds on the watch. Instead of sliding off of the gleaming jewel, the blade crunched right into it and cracked it into pieces. Red covered his face in pure anger, wanting nothing more than to ring his hands around the neck of the man that had been selling him all his possessions for years.

"Told you!" Roni said.

Upon hearing the woman's words, Kline directed his anger at her, sending out a flurry of blades straight at her. She threw her arms up in front of her in a poor attempt at shielding herself, waiting for the pain of the blades to hit her. Though, that pain never came. She heard the clinking of metal against metal, causing her to drop her arms and see Rosco standing in front of her. She managed to catch glimpses of silver on his body, seeing that both of his fists were now metallic. And in his quick movements to cover her, a long strand of ocean blue hair had fallen out from his hood, causing her eyes to go wide and pure excitement to shoot through her.

"You…you're…you're-"

Rosco cut Roni off from saying anything further as he swung an arm across the blades that hung in front of Tanya. They were easily knocked out of the way and left no marks on his arm, "Take Tanya and get out of here," he ordered.

Roni hesitated in her excitement, knowing it just had to be _that_ man standing in front of her.

"Now!"

At his shout, Roni jumped, grabbed onto Tanya's hand and yanked her back into the kitchen. Though, she was smiling like an idiot the entire time until she was laughing in joy and excitement.

"Why are you laughing?! This is a serious situation!" Tanya shouted, "Stop being so weird!"

"But Tanya!" Roni said as she guided them out the back door of the restaurant and around the corner to make her way to the front windows of the place, "It's him! I knew I was right!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Rosco! He's not really Rosco!" she said as she made them crouch down in front of the windows to watch the fight that was about to happen.

"You're not making any sense!"

"I can't believe I didn't see it when he first walked into your restaurant today!" Roni continued, giggling in between her words, "Rosco is a pirate, Tanya! And not just any pirate! He's Amos Valdovas! Blue Steel Amos!"

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!

I was going to put the actual fight between Rosco and Kline in this chapter, but then that stopping point was so nice that I decided to hold off the final confrontation for next chapter. But! This chapter was still very important, considering what Roni figured out! So I think there should be one more chapter with the fight and wrapping things up before we finally get to start moving things along! CHA! I'm so excited! (If you can't tell, lol!)

But thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I'm glad that this story is off to such a good start!

And all the Rookie Captain spots have now been filled. But there is still one last Shichibukai spot open. And, of course, Marine positions are still open. I just ask that the rank on them be lower than an Admiral. So anything Vice-Admiral or lower is open.

I believe that's it for this time around.

I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	4. I Still Exist!

**A/N:** Yas! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: I Still Exist!**

Roni squirmed in her crouched position in front of the window as she watched the battle that was about to go down, the woman too excited to sit still. Tanya glanced between her and the two men in her restaurant, still unwilling to believe in what the redhead had just announced to her. Amos Valdovas was dead and had been dead for the past ten years. People didn't come back from the dead and they wouldn't hide out as a simple bum in a town like Viridian either. None of it made any sense and she almost felt bad about having to pop the young girl's bubble of excitement when all of this was over.

"Come on Amos!" Roni said, "Knock that guy's lights out! I want to see that infamous Steel Slammer!"

Tanya made herself bite her tongue to keep from correcting Roni on Rosco's name as she turned her full attention towards the two men inside.

"This is your last chance," Kline said as he flicked both of his wrists downwards to make blades appear, "Become my right hand man and I will let everything go and Miss Tanya will be debt free."

Rosco only responded by lifting up his fist towards the man, his skin still hard and silver in appearance.

"I see," Kline sighed, "Looks like I will make you my underling the hard way then," he said as he flicked his right hand first, sending a blade soaring towards the cloaked man.

Rosco easily knocked the blade away from him just in time to see the second blade coming right towards his face. He caught this one with one hand, holding it so the tip of it was just an inch away from his face. He glared at the blade for a moment before crushing it in his grip, the pieces of it crumbling to the floor. He then turned his glare on the man across from him, "People like you really piss me off. You don't care about anyone but yourself."

"Like a bum has any place to be criticizing me," Kline said, "Everything you do is for yourself as well. You are always searching for food and water and shelter for yourself. And you hide away from the world to protect yourself. I am actually quite surprised that you are fighting me now. What are you gaining for yourself in this situation?"

Rosco kept quiet at that question as he didn't even know what he was fighting for. All he knew was that Kline had taken things too far with Tanya and he was tired of sitting by and watching the loan shark get away with his continuous harassment. And with that thought fueling him, Rosco began to walk towards Kline, determined to take him out with one hit. Though, Kline had different plans in mind.

"Quill Storm," Kline said evenly as blades popped out all across his body. He then controlled them to go flying straight at Rosco. Most of the blades bounced off of Rosco's metallic body, but one of them managed to slice across his cheek as he hadn't covered his face in his metal casing, "Ah, it does appear that you can bleed," Kline said as he watched a stream of red drip off of his face, "I was beginning to wonder, considering Lazlo's mallet did not even leave a scratch on you. Though, I am also quite certain you could have deflected that blade or covered your face with your metal. Why did you not do either of those things?"

"Because I don't need my full power to take you out," Rosco answered as he continued moving forward.

"Let yourself be hit over and over again like that and it will only cause to hinder you," Kline said as he began throwing out more and more blades at Rosco, aiming for his face now since he knew he had no shielding of metal there.

Rosco ignored the continuous sting of blades sliding across his face and the blood that trickled from those cuts. The longer he stared at the man in front of him the more his anger grew. He hadn't felt such a rush of emotion in a long time, having chosen to face everything with an indifferent attitude for years. It made his heart ache as the remembrance of feelings filled his entire being. He was so overcome by the anger that filled him that it began to come out in a low growl, Rosco not being able to hold it all in.

Kline picked up on the low growl that the man was making, causing him to bark in laughter, "Are you really so angry about all of this? No one has given you the time of day since you came to this island. Even Miss Tanya only feeds you out of simple pity. You are unwanted and worthless. Only my offer will give your life meaning now."

Rosco's growl began to grow, the aching feeling in his heart growing along with it. He rubbed his left hand across his chest at the uncomfortable pressure that laid there now. And the blades still slicing across his face no longer had any feeling in comparison to the feeling in his chest. Cuts and scrapes were nothing when compared to the heaviness in his heart. Why did he feel the heaviness now? After all these years, what happened to suddenly spark his heart back to life?

"Amos!"

Rosco's eyes went wide at the shout of that name. He looked over at the front window to see Roni jumping up and down in excitement, a bright smile on her face. His whole body froze at hearing that name coming from smiling lips, like someone had actually been happy to see him again. The heaviness in his heart swelled to the point of bursting and he was certain that for a long few seconds he couldn't breathe.

"Show him how it's done! Show him the Steel Slammer!"

The Steel Slammer. It had been one of his signature moves from his glory days. It had been a move that was respected and feared. And it had been a move that had been washed away with him ten years ago. No one remembered or talked about that move anymore. And he was certain that a woman like Roni had never seen it. But there she was asking to see it, asking him to use it on Kline. His heart burst at her request and that smile she continued to wear. It was like looking at one of his old crew members who enjoyed watching him fight, watching him protect their crew. But what did he have to protect now? What was the point of using that move now?

"Remember! I know you exist! And the world needs to know you still exist too!"

A horde of blades clinked off his chest and scraped across his face, one specific blade creating a deeper gash across his left cheek. The large attack of blades brought him out of his shock as he turned to face a still smirking Kline. He glared darkly at the man in front of him, tired of seeing that stupid smirk of his and hearing his empty words. He let his growl return until it turned into a loud shout, his fist coming across Kline's face.

The man quickly fell to the ground, holding his instantly bruising and bleeding cheek, "You dare hit me?! You will regret that, you bum!"

Rosco only answered him with a kick to his gut, sending the man soaring across the room until his back slammed into the wall of the restaurant. Rosco didn't give him any time to get up or send out another attack as he stormed up on him and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him up until his feet were dangling off of the ground.

"You wanted to know what I was gaining out of this fight? What I had to protect in this fight?" he asked. Though, Kline was unable to answer with his swelled cheek, "My existence!" he shouted as he finally threw back his hood to reveal a long mane of ocean blue hair with shining silver streaks through it and the brightest, ocean blue eyes shining through pieces of his long bangs. A scruff of a beard from not being able to shave on a daily basis covered his face, but his eyes were filled with heavy emotions as they stared down Kline, the loan shark's own eyes going wide at the appearance of the man, "Amos Valdovas still exists!" he roared before pulling his right arm back as far as he could. The two men exchanges glances one last time, one filled with fear of the pain to come and one filled with hot, fresh emotions that promised that pain to come. Once the stare down was finished, the metal covered fist moved forward with everything he had, letting the ache in his heart fuel the speed and power behind it. It slammed directly into Kline's face, his face smashing inwards as teeth and bone broke under the pressure. Blood flew outwards almost instantly and his eyes went white as his body was flung into the wall again. Though, this time the wall didn't stop his body as it flew straight through it. Wood planks exploded all around the room and followed Kline's body as he was flung outside and skidded across the ground, dirt and rocks rising up after him.

A thick silence hung in the air once Kline's body had settled and the man laid unmoving. Everyone stared out over at the unmoving body until Roni's excited voice broke the silence.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about! The Steel Slammer!" she shouted, turning to look at Tanya, "I told you he was still alive! I told you so! I told you so!"

As Roni danced around in triumph, Tanya looked over at the man still standing in her restaurant with a dropped jaw. Roni had seriously been right? Amos Valdovas was still alive? The answer stood right in front of her as he turned around to face the two women still standing outside at front of the restaurant. He gave her an almost nervous look, a complete one-eighty from what he had just looked like with Kline.

"Sorry about your restaurant," he said, pointing back towards the broken wall.

His comment didn't seem to sink in as her mind was still trying to wrap around the fact that a dead man was standing in her restaurant and she had been serving him meals for years. Her mind soon overloaded as she tried to grasp hold of that fact, causing her to faint and fall straight back on the ground. The large man inside the restaurant sighed at her reaction and the fact that Roni was still dancing around her while singing about telling her so. He shook his head and made his way for the front door, knowing he'd have to be the one to take control of the situation.

 **. : + : .**

"So," Tanya began as she sipped on a cup of hot tea, staring at the man across from her, "You really are Amos Valdovas?"

"I am."

"And you're a pirate."

"I was."

"No, no! He still is!" Roni said, bouncing up and down on her seat next to the blue haired man.

"That part of my life is over," Amos said, staring down at the redhead.

"Well, if word starts getting out that you're still alive, you'll end up as a pirate again," Tanya said, holding up the bounty sheet that Roni had pulled out from her book again, "Things like this just don't go away."

"That's right!" Roni added, "You are Blue Steel Amos! A man who ate the Steel Steel Fruit and became a steel man! You're the strongest!" she said, making several strong poses as she spoke, "I've been looking for you for a long time! So we can't give up now that I have!"

Amos was quiet for a long moment as he continued to stare down at her before he let out a sigh, "I don't know why you would be looking for a man like me. I'm really not that great. And I don't know what you thought would happen when you found me, but creating another pirate crew is not on my to do list."

Roni stopped her posing as she stared at the man in front of her, frowning when she saw that he was serious. She moved her gaze to stare down at the bar top in front of her, "You inspired me a lot, Amos. Because of you I got to feel what it was like to really live. It's because of you that I want the whole world to know who I am. I wanted to find you to prove to the world that you weren't dead and that you were still a great pirate. And I wanted to find you to become great with you."

"Why is something like that so important to you?"

"It…it just is. I don't want to forget about existing in this world. I don't want history to forget that I'm here too. And I believe with you I can do that."

Silence filled the restaurant again for a few minutes, this time being broken by Tanya, "I think it's only right that you travel with her."

"What?" he asked, looking right at the woman.

"Yep, at least for a little while," she said, "She helped you out a lot with the fight with Kline. Plus, if you stay here any longer, people are bound to start figuring out who you really are and that's going to cause me lots of problems. You already broke one of my walls."

"I said I was sorry."

"I don't care. You're not staying here," she continued, "Besides, you didn't see how excited and determined she was to find you earlier. You probably don't even realize how happy she is to have found you and be sitting right next to you. You're her hero. Are you really the type of man to let her down?"

Amos looked between Tanya's smirking face and Roni giving him puppy dog eyes, causing his eye to twitch in annoyance, "Like I have a freaking choice here," he said, causing Roni to scream in excitement and Tanya's smile to grow, "But it's only because I should be moving away from this island, not because I'm going to be creating a new crew."

"Whatever you say," Tanya said, a knowing smile on her face, "Now then, why don't I give you a proper hair cut and shave before you go? I can also give you some food to last you until the next island and you can also take my father's old dingy."

"What? Tanya, that's too much," Amos said.

"Don't worry about it. I owe for all the times you chased off Lazlo and the other goons," she said, "Plus, my father doesn't ever use that small boat anymore. It's better that it gets some use from you."

"What about the wall? And Kline and his men?"

"I've already notified the sheriff about Kline and he'll be coming to pick him up after he's done cleaning up the men back at Kline's house. And my bum of a father can fix the broken wall. It'll be good for him to get up and do something useful," she said, smiling at him again upon seeing the unsure look on his face, "You really helped me out, Amos. Please, just let me do this for you."

Amos watched her for a moment before giving in with a sigh, "All right."

"Thank you," she said, "Let's get you that haircut and everything before the sheriff gets here. Better that you be on your way before he shows up asking questions."

Amos nodded his head, the two of them still ignoring an overly excited Roni next to them, even when she stood up on the counter and began to shout in triumph.

"Looks like Kronikka Taylor Noel Wallace Dean the fifteenth really was too much for those bad guys to handle! And now I really will be unstoppable with Blue Steel Amos next to me! The Adventures of the Great and Amazing Kronikka starts now!"

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!

So it looks like all Rookie Captain and Shichibukai spots have been taken. But Marine spots are still open. And if you have sent me a message about sending in a character or whatnot and I haven't gotten back to you yet, you should see a message from me soon! The last few days have been a bit busy with holiday stuff and playing new games, lol. But I will get back with all who have sent me messages here shortly.

Thanks to all of you that reviewed the last chapter! They are very much appreciated and I loved them all!

And now it looks like things are really gonna get started with things ending on Viridian and Roni getting Amos to go sailing with her! CHA! I'm still so excited!

But that should be it for now!

I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	5. A Traveling Marine

**A/N:** YAS! A new chapter! Finally!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: A Traveling Marine**

 **April 22nd - Evening**

Amos sat across from the redhead in the small boat Tanya had given them. He currently wore a straight face as he stared at Roni. While he had felt a heaviness in his heart while he had fought Kline, he had easily returned to his usual indifferent attitude shortly after it. For the life of him he couldn't remember why he had agreed to come with the small woman. He vaguely remembered Tanya having something to do with it, but now he just wished he hadn't gotten in the middle of everything that went down on Viridian Island with Kline. He had been really stupid to go and announce who he really was to Kline like he did. Knowing what that man was like, he was sure he'd open his big mouth and start blabbing about it to anyone who would listen.

'My life just got way more complicated than I ever wanted it to because of that tiny woman,' he thought, his bored stare turning into a slight glare momentarily as he eyed the redhead that had been panicking for the past twenty minutes, 'Why didn't I just mind my own business? And why did she have such a pull over me?'

"Amos!" Roni shouted, whipping her head around as she yelled at him. Her messy red bangs flew across her face as they revealed her bright green eyes to him. And even thought her face was one of panic this time, it still brought back that heaviness in his heart again when she shouted his name. He could have sworn that his heart slammed against his ribcage when she spoke and for a brief moment he remembered why he was on the boat and why she had such control over him. Though, the heaviness soon lifted and his indifference took its place again.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'?!" she said, dropping her voice low on the last word in order to sound like him, "You can clearly see our current predicament, right?"

Amos sighed as he ran a hand through his now short hair. Tanya had done an excellent job of giving him a haircut and a shave. His face was completely smooth while his hair had been cut into a crew cut, though Tanya had left it long enough for him to slick it back some if he so wished. Though, he didn't see himself styling it any time soon, considering his traveling through the ocean. Silver streaks could be seen shining in the sun through it, the streaks having appeared since the day he ate the Steel Steel Fruit. Tanya had even been nice enough to find some clothes for him, the woman having insisted that he throw away his old and dirty bum clothes. So he currently wore a skin tight, sleeveless blue shirt that was tucked into a pair of black jeans that were held up by a black leather belt with a square, silver buckle. And he finsihed the outfit off with a heavy pair of black boots. Though, he noted that steel-toed boots would be better during his travels and would have to get some in the near future.

'Why am I even thinking about that?' he thought, 'It's not like traveling with this woman is gonna last that long.'

"Amos! Are you listening to me?!"

"Tch, I hear you just fine," he asnswered as he stuck his pinky finger into his ear and moved it around as she shouted at him again.

"You should really be more concerned about things!"

"And here I had been thinking you were happy-go-lucky about everything. Why are you panicking like this?"

"Because our boat is sinking!"

Just as the redhead had said, the boat was indeed slowly lowering into the water.

"I see."

"What kind of reaction is that?!"

"It's not the first time something like this has happened to me," he said with a shrug.

Roni stopped her panicking for a moment as she thought over why he would be in the same predicament before. Then it hit her and she flew towards him in a flash to start slamming fists on him, "It's because of your fat butt that we're sinking!"

"Name calling will get you nowhere," he said as he held a hand against her face to hold her back, "We really do need to work on your social awareness. Saying whatever you want like that will get you into trouble one day."

"I don't care! Your steel body is gonna get us killed! Or at least you! You do remember that you can't swim, right?! And there's no way I can lift you out of the water! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Kronikka Marsha Dolly Lincoln Barnaby the ninth does not want to end here!"

Amos sighed again before attempting to calm her down, "Look, I've been through these waters before. I know how long it takes to get to the next island and we should bee seeing some docks any moment now. So just calm down already."

"If that's true then you take the oar already and paddle us there instead of making me do it!" she shouted before slamming the flat end of the oar against his head. The wood instantly cracked and broke in half upon hitting his head. The two of them stared at the broken object for a long, silent moment before Roni broke out in another panic.

"Would you stop it already!" Amos said as he moved forward to grab her. Just as his hand gripped the back of her shirt, the wood under his right foot groaned and broke from the pressure he had been applying to it.

This only caused Roni to shout and point at the hole that had water coming through it, "You're gonna die! You're gonna die and we haven't even started things!"

Amos let out a heavy, frustrated sigh as he released the woman and grabbed the second oar on the boat. He made sure to keep his foot in the hole to help plug it up a bit as he started rowing. He knew that the next island was just up ahead and that there was no calming the woman down until they were back on solid ground. So he let her plummit into her drama as he continued pushing them forward with the oar. Just like he thought, the island and the docks that belonged to it appeared before them. He gave their small boat a few more good pushes before he threw the oar out into the ocean. He then stood up, allowing more water to flood the boat when he pulled his foot out of the hole. He then grabbed Roni in one hand and her backpack in the other before turing to face the dock their sinking boat was approaching. He had enough time to jump up onto the dock before the boat completely sunk. A few men on the docks stared at him with curious stares for a moment until he turned an annoyed stare on them. This had them jumping in surprise at being caught staring and returing to what they were previously working on.

He continued walking across the dock with a still squirming Roni in hand. When he finally stepped onto land, he placed the redhead down on her feet.

"I'll remember you fondly, Blue Steel Amos!" she shotued when she was placed on the ground, thinking she was still in the ocean.

"Open your eyes, stupid," Amos said with an angry hiss lacing his words.

Roni opened one eye at first. Once she had both eyes open and saw that they were on land and not sinking in the ocean, a smile spread across her face, "We're alive!"

"Yeah," Amos said with a roll of his eyes, "And don't go shouting my name like that. I would like to lay low for a while," he said, throwing her backpack towards her.

She easily caught it and strung her arms through it before the two began to walk towards town, or at least that's what Roni assumed they were doing. She hadn't ever been on the island they had come to, but Amos seemed to know where he was going, so she simply let him lead the way.

"Why can't I say your name? It's your name and it's a good one!"

"I beg to differ," he mumbled before clearing his throat and answering her, "I don't want any trouble or anything after we just got here. You already had one panic attack today. I don't want to deal with another one from you if trouble starts happening."

"No problem! I can handle anything now that we're back on land!"

"Are you scared of the water?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Psh, of course not! But you can't swim and I can't lift you, so it makes me worry," she said, missing the look of surprise that Amos made, "So! We'll just have to find someone that can to travel with us!"

Amos shook his head at that, "Look, I already told you that I'm not starting a new crew."

"I never said anything about a crew. Just someone big to travel with us."

Amos felt his eye twitch, 'And by doing that, you're creating a crew,' he thought, looking down to see a happy smile on the woman's face, 'And somehow I get the feeling you know that too.'

He felt himself sigh again, having a feeling that a new habit was forming. He never sighed this much until the redhead had appeared. Though, he was soon ripped out of his thoughts when he felt the woman tug on his arm.

"Amos! Can we get something to eat here? I'm starving!"

Amos looked around to see that they had made it into town where a large marketplace lay before them. All sorts of smells and sounds erupted from the town, causing Amos's own stomach to start growling.

"I do suppose food sounds good," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Though, when he did this it reminded him that he had no money on him. He looked down at the redhead, remembering that she had previously stated back in Tanya's diner that she didn't really have any money either, "But I don't know how we're gonna pay for it."

"Oh, that's easy! We just pick out a place, I go in and find a sucker, play the cute and innocent card, and boom! Free food!"

A sweat drop rolled down his head, "I'm guessing this is something you've done before."

"You bet!"

"I'm really gonna have to keep my eye on you then," he said as he ushered her into town with him, "Tricking the wrong person will get you into trouble one day too."

"Don't worry so much. Ohhh! Let's try that place!" she said, pointing towards a place that read 'The Grey Gull' above the doorway. Amos didn't have much of a choice as she dragged him along with her. Upon entering the place, it appeared to be fairly neat and clean with good enough patronage. Amos was confident that not too much trouble would be happening in the place and continued to let Roni lead him around. The pair paused for a moment, long enough for the small woman to let her eyes roam over the people in the place before she seemed to spot someone of interest. Amos almost felt bad about what the poor man was about to go through, but his growling stomach overpowered any sympathy he might have felt for him, "Excuse me, mister!" Roni said, catching the man's attention.

The man seemed to be fairly muscular from behind, but it was spread out evenly through his tall and lean build. His white hair was pulled back in a samuri styled ponytail and his body was currently leaning over the table he sat at. He was in the middle of pouring himself a drink when Roni had called out to him.

"Ah, some company!" the man said in a gruff voice, "I was hoping for something to happen here. I was starting to get bored and the owners of this place don't really like me when I'm bored," he continued as he began to turn around to see who had called out to him, "I don't know why they keep letting me back here. This whole town is filled with boring peop-"

The man instantly went silent when he had fully turned in his seat and his eyes met Amos's. Amos in turn had wide eyes, knowing that any chance of laying low in this town just went out the window. Familar, round blue eyes were glued to Amos, though the casual clothing of black slacks, a white, short sleeved button up shirt and black slip on shoes was not something that Amos remembered about the man; but the tanned skin and the few scars that could be seen on his arms and chest were things that he did remember. It was hard to forget about a man that chased after you for several years without a break.

The stare down went on a little longer with Roni staring between the two men with confusion. She waved her hands in between them a few times in hopes that it would snap them out of whatever trance they were in. She cocked her head to the side, seeing distance looks on their faces as if they were both remembering something from another time. What finally did snap the two men out of their daze was the mystery man dropping the bottle and glass he had been holding, the crashing of the glass across the restaruant floor pulling them both back into reality.

Though, as soon as that happened, the white haired man began shouting and pointing at Amos. He jumped up to his full height of 6'1", being just a few inches shorter than Amos, and picked up his chair. He aimed the legs of it at Amos in order to create a blockade between them.

"Ghost! It's a ghost! Have you finally come to haunt me?!"

"I don't remember chairs being issued weapons of the marines," Amos said, "And stop making a scene!"

"This guy is a marine?" Roni asked, cocking her head to other side now, "He doesn't look much like one."

By this point the man had begun poking Amos with the chair legs, "How come the chair doesn't go through you? You're a ghost so it should go right through you!"

"No, he doesn't look like a marine, does he?" Amos said, ignoring the man with the chair for the moment.

"No, but maybe he's on vacation."

"Could be," Amos said before finally grabbing onto one the chair legs, "Would you stop that already!" he snapped as he easily crushed the wood in his hand, "I'm not a ghost!"

"But you have to be! I was there _that_ day!"

Amos began to notice how the eyes of the other patrons started to linger on them. Things would really get troublesome if they continued their conversation so loudly and in plain sight. He decided then that they needed to get to a more secluded area so they could speak. He then yanked the rest of the chair from the man's hands and dropped it to the floor. He spied a booth in a back corner of the place and quickly grabbed onto the man's shirt, pulling him back towards it with him. Roni followed close on his heels, only hoping that a waiter would come back to their table so she could get something to eat finally.

Amos none too gently pushed the white haired man into one side of the booth while Roni and himself took the other. And it seemed Roni's wish had come true as a waiter was immediately next to them, afraid that more things would become broken if the trio was ignored. Amos let Roni order her food, but he kept silent since he suddenly no longer felt hungry. Once the waiter had run off to put in the order, Amos finally started to speak to the man in front of them.

"Balto Yaeger."

"Are you really Amos Valdovas?"

A thick silence passed through the group, even Roni staying quiet. She had picked up on the fact that Amos and this man knew each other back when Amos had been a pirate captain. She at least understood that it would be rude for her to interrupt them now.

Amos's eyes flitted around the place to make sure no one was listening to them now. Once he felt confident that he could safely answer the question, he fixed his eyes back on the man, "I am."

"But you're supposed to be dead."

"And you're supposed to be in the marines out in the Grand Line. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I think my current career choices are of little issue when I'm staring at a dead man!"

"Would you keep it down!" he snapped, his eyes wondering back out towards the other people in the restaurant. A few people had looked their way after Balto's shout, but they all soon returned to their meals and conversations, "Clearly, I'm not dead."

"I don't understand. I was there when everything happened. We watched what your crew did to you. There's no way you're alive."

"Wait, you were there?"

"Yes, we received an anonymous tip that something bad was going down and where to go," he said, staring down at the table sadly, "But we got there too late."

Roni watched the exchange closely, wondering why a marine would be sad about something bad happening to a pirate. She had always assumed that pirates and marines hated each other and attacked each other on sight. But this Balto guy seemed genuinely upset about something.

"Who sent you the tip?"

"I just said it was anonymous, but it was a woman. That's all I know," he said, "But that's beside the point! I still don't understand how you're alive!"

Amos stayed quiet for a short moment as he figured out how to answer the man. He finally sighed before he spoke, "I don't know either. One moment I'm drowning and then the next I'm on a beach."

"Who saved you?"

"I don't know."

"You have to have some idea. Didn't they say anything to you afterwards?"

Amos was quiet again, remembering the words as clear as day.

 _"This is not your ending. A new age must begin by bringing back an old age. Bring back the Will of D, Amos Valdovas."_

"No," he lied, "They didn't say anything. They just left me there on the beach."

"Strange," Balto said, wondering about who could have been the one to save Amos, "Well, ten years is a long time. What have you been up to."

"Like I'm going to tell a marine my business."

"It's good to see you haven't gone stupid after all these years," he said, a wide smile finally spreading across his face, "But I'll let you in on a secret. I'm not with the marines any longer."

"Tch, yeah right."

"I'm telling you the truth. I'd tell you to contact the marines for proof, but that would probably be a bad idea for you."

"You think?"

Balto shrugged at him, "If you don't want to believe me, fine, but I'm being serious. I quite the marines after holding a captain position for a while."

"Why leave? You could have made it up to Vice Admiral. That would have been a well paying job for you."

"That's so much responsibility though. And I was getting bored," he frowned, "There aren't a lot of men out there like you. I mean, sure I could go out and beat some pirates up, but where's the fun in that? And no one held honor and respect like you did. Oh! You know what?! We should spar! It's been ten years and I want to see what you've got after all this time!"

"What? No! That's not happening."

"Afraid you're gonna lose?"

"Hell no," Amos said, his eye twitching in annoyance, "But I'm not the same man as I was back then. I'm sure you've changed too."

"I don't think I've changed much. I still do what I want, when I want. It's still hard to find entertainment these days, so I still travel around a lot. So no, I'm not that much different."

It was then that the waiter came back and laid the food down in front of Roni before running off again. Roni's mouth watered at the sight of it, the woman quickly grabbing her knife and fork so she could start digging in.

Balto watched her for a moment before a wide smile spread across his face, "So who's your friend here?"

"She's not my fr-"

Roni jumped up in the booth when the attention was finally turned on her, the woman having gotten wound up with energy after being forced to sit silently through the conversation. She tried to speak, but ended up spitting out food instead.

"Chew and swallow first, stupid," Amos grumbled.

Roni complied to his orders, hitting her fist on her chest to help the food go down a little easier. Once she was set, sparkles erupted around her as she made her introduction, "I am Kronikka Tamara Christine Kennedy Lebeau the thirty-first! And we are on an adventure!"

Amos slammed a palm to his forehead while Balto watched the woman carefully for a moment. Soon though, he burst into loud laughter, seeming to be delighted over the woman's introduction.

"Talk about an instant way to lighten the mood! She's wonderful! Where did you find her? Oh, don't tell me! Are you starting a new crew?!"

"You don't have to shout!" Amos hissed, "And no, I'm not!"

"We're traveling for the moment! Would you like to join us?!" she asked, the two ignoring the steel man for the moment, "Oh! Amos! He would be able to lift you out of the water if you fell in!"

"I told you! I'm not starting a new crew!"

Balto smiled knowingly at the steel man, one that looked exactly like the one Tanya had after she had talked him into traveling with Roni, "We'll talk about the traveling later," he said with a wink, which had Roni squealing in joy while it only seemed to irritate Amos more. Even after all these years, Balto still knew how to get right under his skin, "And we still have a lot more to talk about...Amos," he said, hesitating for a brief moment before he said his name. It wasn't one he had spoken for many years, and it was one that he thought he would never say again, let alone to Amos's face, "But I now insist that you help me with something on this island!"

"No," was Amos's instant reply.

"Oh, come on. It's not all that complicated."

"No."

"You owe me for dying on me and then coming back from the dead without telling me."

Amos stared at him flatly for a long moment, "Hell no."

"Don't be such a grump face!" Roni said, "Whatever it is, we'll help!"

"You don't get to decide that! Remember what happened the last time you stuck your nose into someone else's business?!" Amos shouted.

"What's the problem? Everything turned out fine!"

"Only because I was there!"

"And you're here again!"

Amos was becoming fed up between the smiling faces of Roni and Balto, knowing that the two of them would definitely be the death of him now. But he also knew that Roni seemed to be the type of woman that kept her word. So if she had made her mind up about helping Balto, and had even declared that she would now, then he really didn't have a choice in the matter any longer.

Amos let out the longest sigh of the day and he rolled his thumb and forefinger over his temples, "Fine," he said, hearing cheers from both Roni and Balto, "What exactly to you need help with?"

"Just a small B&E."

Amos stopped his motions as he finally looked up at the man, "What do you mean by 'small'?"

"It'll be easier for me to show you than tell you," he said, his smile still in tact, "So I'll let you finish up here first and then we'll take a walk."

Amos continued staring at the man until he could no longer take that smile of his. He knew that whatever it was that Balto needed help with, it sure as hell wasn't going to be anything small. And it would probably get them into a lot of trouble. And it would probably send out more rumors about him too. With those thoughts in mind, Amos called out to their waiter for a drink, knowing he would need one before things got started.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

 **Credits**

 **Balto Yeager - Origm2012**

So I didn't mean to take so long in updating, but things happened and I fell into a bit of a slump and starting quite a big project with some other writers. But inspiration has been coming back slowly and I happened to be watching some One Piece amvs and boom! This chapter practically wrote itself. So hopefully an update shouldn't take that long again.

I really did enjoy writing this chapter! I really loved being able to write the dynamics between Amos and Roni! And there will be more antics and such from Balto. But because he has history with Amos and thought the man to be dead, I had to portray him a bit differently in his opening scene than what he's normally like. But I'm really excited to be able to introduce him and I hope you all liked him or come to like him. He really will be such a fun character!

As always, I apperciate all the reviewes that were sent in last chapter! I loved them all and you all are just super (SUPER!)! I do normally respond to them here at the end of the chapter, and I should start doing that here soon, but with me really getting back into the swing of things for now, this will just be a quick author's note. But I do want all of you to know that I appreciate you reading this story and reviewing as well! :3

I think that should be it for now.

Again, the next chapter shouldn't take so long to be updated!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	6. The Robot With a Human Heart

**A/N:** BOOM! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Robot With a Human Heart**

 **April 22** **nd** **– Late Evening**

The trio had finally left the restaurant for the evening, Balto having paid for all of Roni's food and Amos's drinks; Amos figuring that if he owed Balto, then he might as well get his money's worth of it. Once outside of the place, Roni was once again cocking her head to the side as she stared up at the large weapon hefted up on Balto's right shoulder.

"That's a weird looking sword."

Balto glanced down at her for a moment before he smiled at the thought of showing off his weapon to someone new, "It's not just any weapon. It's Mara, the gunblade," he said as he lifted it from his shoulders and took a fighting stance with it to show it off better.

It was a rather large and long, white steel guard-less blade with a gun barrel on either side of the blade just above the hilt. The hilt was curved to allow for easy shifting from sword fighting to precision shooting. And the hilt itself was wrapped in an extremely long, thin cloth that extended out to just around the trigger.

"I can't believe you still have that thing," Amos mumbled.

"Of course I do!" Balto said, "It's my signature weapon and it's taken you down plenty of times!"

"It's never taken me down," Amos said with an unamused look on his face, "But I hope it's still in working order these days."

"I always make sure it's in top, working order," Balto said as he heaved the weapon back over his shoulder, "But I've been thinking about making some upgrades to it recently. I just haven't really decided on what could be done to her."

"Well, as fascinating as that sounds, how about telling me about what's happening on this island."

"You've been to Cato before, right?" Balto asked, referring to the island they were currently on.

"It's been a while, but yeah. What about it?"

"Then you know how advanced they are here with technology. Cato is admired even by people within the Grand Line for their advancements in science and robotics."

"Wait! They have robots here?!" Roni shouted, looking around her to stare intensely at all the people around her in hopes of spotting one.

Balto chuckled while Amos sighed, knowing the redhead was about to loose her cool over some robots.

"Yes, they do," Balto said, "The bartender back in the restaurant was a robot."

"I didn't even notice!"

"You normally wouldn't until you spoke with them. They are designed to look like people here."

"So they look like people but don't speak?"

"They do, but it still comes out very robotic sounding. So more often than not, they're used as store clerks, manual labor or even butlers and maids for people that have the money to afford them."

"That sounds like a boring life. They should be able to choose what they want to do. Like real people."

"Aye, but they're still robots."

"Robot or not, a person is still a person! If they were designed to look like people, then they should have the same rights as a person!"

Balto and Amos stared at the fuming redhead before looking at each other.

"She has a thing about freedom and existing," Amos said.

"I'm actually very reassured to hear that," Balto said, "Because the problem I need help with involves one of these robots."

"Oh really?! I get to meet one?!" Roni said, her eyes now sparkling brightly at the thought of meeting a robot.

"Tch, you really are weird. Most girls don't like that kind of thing," Amos mumbled.

"You won't just get to meet one, but you'll get to help me liberate one!" Balto said, Amos being ignored once again.

Roni's eyes grew wider as she started to bounce around Balto in excitement, "Really?!"

"Of course," Balto smiled widely as he placed a hand on her back to guide her along with him when he began to walk towards their destination, "You believe that robots should be able to pick their own path too, right?"

"I do!"

"Then you get to be a part of giving a robot that freedom here on Cato!"

"I can't wait! This is gonna be so much fun!"

As the two continued making their way down a path, Amos stood in his spot in front of the restaurant with a blank look on his face while Balto's words repeated themselves over and over again in his head.

' _You'll get to help me liberate one! Help me liberate one! Liberate one! LIBERATE!'_

"Shit," was all he said as he came back to reality and moved to follow the idiotic pair in front of him.

 **. : + : .**

The trio had made their way much further into the island, far from the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. They were currently following a single dirt road out into the country-like side of the island, Balto and Roni still animatedly talking ahead of Amos, the steel man wearing what Roni had deemed his 'grump face' during their walk. Though, their talking soon came to a sudden halt when a large house came into view.

It wasn't over done like Kline's mansion had been, but it was still quite large. It was two stories high while being wide and taking up a great amount of space, allowing the inside of the home to have a multitude of rooms and large spaces. It was covered with light blue paneling with white trim, a large porch wrapping around the entire house with several chairs, tables and a couple of swinging benches. A plethora of flowers and rose bushes circled the house and filled the yard along with some small trees. The sun shone down on it and a small path around the house that led to the backyard.

"Oh wow!" Roni said, "It's even more beautiful than the last mansion that we destroyed."

Balto looked over at Amos with a questioning stare.

"Don't ask," Amos said, not feeling like explaining the most recent trouble he had been forced into. He then looked down at Roni, "And we're not blowing up any more houses, got it?"

"Don't worry," she smiled, "That won't happen unless some bad people live here too."

"I'll take that backpack from you if you try it."

Roni quickly gripped onto her backpack after Amos's threat, "I'll bite you if you do!"

"Whatever," he mumbled before looking back at Balto, "So why are we at a place like this?"

"Follow me," he answered, beginning to head back towards the path that led to the backyard.

"You're just gonna walk into the backyard? I'm pretty sure we'll be thrown out in an instant," Amos said.

"And since when have you been afraid of doing something you're not supposed to?" Balto asked, smirking back at him.

Amos felt his eye twitch in irritation, grumbling as he followed Balto with Roni right beside him.

Balto walked along the path without worry, as if he had done the same thing several times before, "I suppose I should say you're lucky to run into me here on this island," he began, "I normally don't stick to one place for so long, but this robot we're going to meet caught my attention. Enough to keep me here until I right what I feel like is a wrong. So maybe this was fate rather than luck. I think joining a crew would give me plenty of new things to do."

"I told you already, I'm not starting a new crew!" Amos snapped, "And even if I was, what the hell makes you think I'd let some ex-marine join? We'd be arrested before the adventure even started."

"You really need to learn how to trust me more if we're going to be crew members."

"Are you even listening to me? I'm not creating a new crew!"

"Well it seems to me that you already have your first mate," Balto said, pointing to the redhead.

Roni let out an excited gasp, "Am I really your first mate?! I was just happy to be a part of your crew, but your first mate?! It's an honor captain!"

"I'm not your captain!" Amos said, glaring over at Balto, "See what you started! Now she won't ever shut up about it!"

Balto only laughed loudly in response as he continued along the path, following it out past the house and the backyard as it led into a small forest that was directly behind the home, "Honestly, why would I arrest my own captain?" Balto continued, entertained by the fact that Roni was dancing around with stars in her eyes. It seemed his job of convincing Amos would be quite easy with the redhead on board. She seemed to have a pull on Amos that he didn't have. He had become quite bored with his current day to day traveling with no real purpose and nothing to do aside from drinking with random townspeople. While being a marine had brought him adventure, that adventure had been the only real reason he had even joined them and stuck with them as long as he did. He didn't care how or with who at this point, but he needed more adventure in his life; and traveling with a dead pirate captain and his energized first mate seemed to be his ticket back into that adventure, "It's my job to fight off marines now, right? And it'll make it especially easier for us since I know how they work and who all is a part of them."

"None of that matters when I'M NOT MAKING A NEW CREW!" Amos shouted, becoming overly frustrated by the fact that both Roni and Balto seemed to believe that a pirate crew was being created right there and then.

Balto twisted a finger in his ear from the shout, "You don't have to yell when I'm right here."

"Yeah, well, you don't seem to understand anything I'm saying, so I thought that shouting might get it through your head."

"Whatever you say, captain," Balto shrugged, laughing at the highly irritated look on Amos's face, "But we'll have to discuss the details of our crew more later since we're here," he said as they walked into a large opening that was filled with the dying light of the evening.

Birds tweeted and flew around the area along with a multitude of butterflies flitting about from flower to flower that were spread across the area. Off to one side of the flower field sat a small white table with two matching chairs that were under a large tree for shade. Across the table was a cute, white tea set with pink lining across the cups and teapot.

Light laughter caught the group's attention, their gazes moving across the field to see a pair of people near the border of flowers. One was a young girl of about eight, her light blue hair spilling down around her shoulders. Her bangs were swept to the left in order to keep the out of her warm brown eyes. She was in a simple outfit of white shorts and a frilly, blue tank top, her feet being bare for the moment. She smiled happily towards the man that sat next to her.

He was currently sitting Indian style, his wiry muscled body leaning over slightly as he reached an arm out towards the group of butterflies that floated near them. He wore a worried look for a moment until an orange and black colored butterfly landed on his index finger, causing the man to smile widely at the sight. His shaggy hair was a jet black color and reached down to his shoulders in messy layers, a few pieces falling into his child-like brown eyes. He also wore a simple outfit of black shorts and a white tank top, his own feet being bare as well.

"What should we name this one, Adam?" the young girl asked.

The man thought for a long moment, cocking his head to the side before finally smiling again, "Grace."

"I like that one a lot. It matches the butterfly really well."

"Naming insects again, I see," Balto called out to them, causing them both to jump slightly in surprise before turning to face the group.

"Mr. Balto!" the girl shouted out happily as she ran towards him.

Balto easily bent down and swooped the girl up in his arms, "Good evening, Bethany," Balto said with a smile as she gave him a hug, "Has Adam been a good babysitter then?"

Bethany puffed her cheeks out before answering, "You know he's my friend, not my babysitter."

"Right, right. My mistake," he chuckled as they began making their way over towards the man in the field. Once they reached him, he looked down at the young man, "Been taking care of the young miss then?"

"Of course," Adam answered with a soft smile, "I would never let anything happen to Miss Bethany."

"I'm glad to hear that," Balto said as he sat the girl back down on her feet, "Now then, there are some people here that I'd like you to meet, Adam," he said, stepping aside so he could get a good view of the pair behind him, "This is Amos and Roni. I brought them here to help me with your situation."

"Ah, you really don't need to do anything, Mr. Balto," Adam said, smiling nervously while rubbing the back of his head, "I already told you that I'm fine with how things are."

"Well I'm not," Balto said with a straight face, "You are a person, not a robot."

"Wait!" Roni shouted, causing everyone to look at her, "This guy is a robot?!"

Balto smiled down at her, "Ah, right, let me introduce you. Amos, Roni, this is Adam. The robot with a human heart."

A short silence passed through the group before Roni let out an excited shout. In the blink of an eye, she jumped towards Adam, latching herself to his back, "That's so awesome! I've always wanted to see a robot for real! What can you do?! Do you shoot lasers? Rockets?! Can you crunch metal with one hand?! I want to see it all!"

Bethany laughed as Roni continued to speak excitedly to Adam, not giving him a chance to answer anything she was asking. Adam didn't do anything to stop her, but he did stare up at Balto with a worried look, unsure if she was actually happy to see him or if she was secretly trying to hurt him.

Balto only laughed in response before looking towards Amos, who was watching the scene with an unamused stare, "Adam here had the Human Human Fruit infused into him as an experiment done by the Arkwright's, the family that runs the company that makes the robots on this island. He was created to watch over their only daughter, Bethany," he explained, motioning to the still laughing girl, "So while he is a robot, he is also a man. And as a man, he has the right to the freedom that every man deserves, but the company won't set him free. I know Adam wants to be free, but he is still tied down by the rules of robots engraved into him when he was first made. So he battles with these rules and the free will that comes with being a man," Balto said, watching the reaction across Amos's face for a moment, "I know you understand freedom better than anyone else, Amos. So I know that you also understand why I want to help Adam. Will you help me?"

Amos moved his gaze back and forth between Balto and Adam. He knew what the right thing to do was – to free Adam – but he also knew that doing that would only end in his name being spread across the East Blue. People would begin to remember his name and realize that he never died in the first place. And the things he wished to never face again would begin to resurface. Helping Adam would only to serve in forcing him to create the crew that Balto and Roni had been talking about earlier. He would be thrown back into a world that he no longer wished to be a part of. But…he also knew what freedom meant. To be a man and to have free will in doing what you pleased. The invisible shackles that held down Adam were wrong. It wasn't his fault he had been given a human heart and longed to do what he wanted. And Amos knew then that he couldn't turn away from him to leave him here in his prison.

Amos sighed heavily, "You know it's not going to be that easy, right? We can't just simply take him away from here. He would only end up coming back here until he realizes that his fate is his own. Until he understands that he owns his own life, he'll just keep coming back to the place that created him, thinking that he has to keep working for them."

"I know that, but I believe you can get through to him."

Amos ran a hand across his face, disbelieving that he was getting mixed up in something so complicated again, "Fine," he huffed, "I'll help you, but don't blame me when all of this blows up in your face."

Balto smiled widely, "All the more fun when explosions are in the mix!"

"Do I need to blow something up already?!" Roni asked, having heard the last part of their conversation.

"Why do you both escalate so quickly?" Amos asked, staring at both of them with a flat stare, which only earned him wide smiles from Balto and Roni, "You both are going to be the death of me one day. So let's start figuring this robot shit out before that happens."

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

Again, all characters that are created without a credit at the end here have been created by myself. So Adam and Bethany and any of the Arkwright's are created by me.

I really had a lot of fun with this and I was really happy to get to introduce Adam as he will have an eventual larger part in the story, but we'll hear more about that later in the story, haha! It's a teaser in the author's notes!

Anyways, I'm greatly enjoying this story still and I'm loving these characters, so thanks again to all of you that have created characters and sent them into me. I'm really excited to be able to use them all eventually!

As always, the reviews were appreciated and I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and that Balto turned out so well!

I think that should be it for this time around.

I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	7. Tell Me About Your Freedom

**A/N:** CHA! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Tell Me About Your Freedom**

 **April 22** **nd** **\- Night**

"Are you quite certain that things are under control?" a man in his early forties asked.

He was a lean, finely dressed man with thick black hair that hadn't yet begun to grey. It was slicked back neatly and his thick mustache was neatly trimmed as well. And his dark brown eyes held pride and intelligence as he stared down at a woman who he felt appeared too relaxed.

"Look here, Richard," she began, her tone, while normally lazy sounding, currently only held irritation for the man before her.

"I have told you before to call me Professor Arkwright, Miss Foley."

Her steely gray eyes finally looked up from the book she had been reading to lock onto the man in front of her. His usually prideful stance and eyes seemed to falter the instant she looked at him, the intensity of her stare making him wish he had kept his mouth shut.

"And as I have stated in response, _Richard_ , that until you call me Commander Foley that your title will continue to be your name."

She continued to stare him down until he took a fearful step backwards. A ghost of a smile made the corners of her lips move upwards for a split second at his reaction before turning her eyes back onto her book. A tanned and scarred hand reached out to the wine glass beside her, the red liquid swirling as she lifted it up to her own dark red lips. Burnt orange colored hair cascaded down around her, the curled waves of hair making it appear like an orange ocean. Her legs were crossed over each other, being covered in tight, form fitting black pants along with knee high, black leather boots that had thicker styled heels. She finished the outfit off with pale red, button up shirt and a skinny, black tie.

On the table next to her sat two large revolvers and over the back of her chair was her pristine, white commander's coat that had the black, 'Justice' lettering on the back. The book in her hand was heavily worn, showing that it had been read several times over. And finally, there were a pile of twenty iron rings that sat on the far edge of the table next to her.

"Now then," she started without looking up at Richard Arkwright, "As I have told you, things are under control. I have been stationed in your home for nearly six months now and nothing has happened, not even a mouse sneaking in. So I think it would be in your best interest to write to my superiors and tell them you are satisfied with my work so I can get off this god forsaken island."

"It is only because you have been here that nothing horrible has happened to my factory or my family. I will keep you here for as long as I see fit."

In the blink of an eye, she picked up one of her rings and sent it soaring towards the man. It easily swiped across his cheek in a black flash, leaving behind a streak of red from the hit it made on him before it imbedded itself into the brick wall behind him that made up the fireplace. Richard looked as if he was about to wet himself as the woman finished off her wine and stood to walk towards him. The intensity of her eyes were on him again like lions hunting their prey and when she fully stood before him, the light of the fire behind him only added to her intensity, the shadows and light enhancing her irritated face. And she stood a good few inches taller than him with more bulk on her muscles from constant training in her mastered style of the Iron Wire Fist. The man knew then that all it would take was a single punch and his life would be over.

"Let's get some things straight here, _Richard_ ," Commander Foley said in a warning tone, "You are a thorn in my side and the only reason I haven't given you a good backhand for your mouthy comments is because I was given orders by my superiors to come here. And the only reason they even sent me here is because they know the importance of your work with the robots and because you paid them a hefty amount of money to have someone come and serve as your guard dog," she said, stopping to give him a once over, "But I'm telling you now, I am no guard dog. Once I send in my next report and my own commanders have seen that they wasted all this time for nothing, then I will be leaving and taking all my men with me. You've been standing in my way long enough for me to move up rank just because you think you can control everyone with money. I am not your dog and I am not one of your robots, so you best watch that mouth of yours."

Richard stood completely still, afraid to make any sudden movements around the woman. But he did give her the smallest of nods to show that he had heard her.

She gave him a final once over before moving towards the fireplace, "And just as a final warning, you should be more cautious in how you act towards the people around you. With an owner like you, pets are liable to bite the hand that feeds them…and I'm not talking about myself," she said, referring to the robots that were his life's work. She then pulled the ring out from the stone wall with one simple yank, "Now leave my room, Richard. You're ruining the atmosphere for me to read in."

The professor didn't waste any time in complying with her demand, taking off at full speed out the door and shutting it tightly behind him.

Once alone, she twirled the ring around her finger as she came back to the chair she had been sitting in, "Just a few more days and I'll finally be out of this place and back into the Grand Line," she said, smiling happily at the thought of finally being able to set sail into more adventurous waters again.

 **. : + : .**

Amos, Balto and Roni had returned to the restaurant they had been in earlier, though this time they had Adam with them, the robot having gotten a chance to get away from the Arkwright home once Bethany had went to bed. Balto and Roni were currently eating and drinking and coming up with a plethora of plans of how they could free Adam. Amos, though, sat at the furthest point of their table, quietly drinking a beer as he brooded over the fact that he was now part of their current situation. Adam had been sitting quietly across from Amos, feeling a bit out of place in the restaurant, considering he rarely ever left the Arkwright home unless he was with Bethany; but he also felt nervous since he felt like he was breaking some sort of rule by being there, but he kept quiet because he knew they were just trying to help him. Though, a question kept nagging the robot until he just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Um…Mr. Amos, sir," he began quietly, managing to catch Amos's attention. Though, Balto and Roni continued on with their planning, the two currently in their own world.

Amos looked up when his name was called out. He locked his eyes on Adam's dark ones, seeing an eagerness in them, but that feeling was clouded by hesitancy, like he was afraid of asking what he wanted. That clouded look in his eyes bothered Amos more than he liked to admit. Maybe it was because his own eyes had looked like that for a long time after he had been betrayed. Even to this day, Amos felt like his eyes still didn't hold their original excitement and love for the world like they did ten years ago. And that bothered him…greatly. He suddenly felt upset by the fact that the man across from him was heading towards the same outcome.

"Just call me Amos," he said, setting his beer down on the table, "You have free will, remember? You can call anyone anything you want, even if it's insulting. Just be ready for them to punch you in return if you choose to do that," he said, trying hard not to smile at the worried look on Adam's face.

"I'll…I'll try to keep that in mind," Adam said, trying not to think about getting punched in the face from insulting someone, "But I have something I'd like to ask you, if that's okay."

"You can ask me whatever you want, so long as you stop sounding so scared and worried over everything."

Adam seemed to flinch at that comment, already very well aware of how he acted towards everything, but he really wanted to ask his question, so he swallowed hard and worked up his courage to not sound as pathetic as he normally did, "Mr. Balto mentioned that you understand freedom better than anyone else. So…" he said, wandering off for a moment as he stared down at the table. He shook his head to pull himself back together. He popped his head up and looked straight at Amos, his eyes shining in wonderment and child-like excitement, "So can you tell me about your freedom?"

The question seemed to be able to pull Balto and Roni out of their heated discussion, the sudden passion behind Adam's words bringing a hush over the table and curiosity as all eyes turned towards Amos to see how the steel man would answer.

"Freedom is a hard thing to really describe. You have to want it and experience it yourself to really know what it is," he said, watching as Adam's face fall at the answer, "But I'll try my best to answer your question."

The passion returned to Adam's eyes, the robot leaning in towards Amos in order to really hear and take in everything he was about to tell him since no one aside from Bethany ever talked to him about things like this. Everyone else always saw him as a robot, but Bethany saw him as a person…and now these three people before him saw him as a person. He wanted to hear what it meant to be a real person from them, to know if what they were trying to help him do here would be worth it. He had to know if his newly given free will was worth fighting for.

"Freedom is…" Amos wandered off for a moment, trying his hardest to remember what freedom felt like to him. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath to visualize himself back on his ship on the Grand Line. A small smile ghosted over his lips as the memories came flooding back, "Freedom is the ocean air flowing through your hair and the splatter of water from the waves hitting your skin. It's the sound of your crew singing and laughing. It's the sound of canons going off and swords clashing as you fight off the men trying to stop you. It's your jolly roger fluttering in the wind and the feeling of pride and victory when you accomplish your goals. It's the glittering of treasure and dreaming the unimaginable and smell of that new bounty you just found in the newspaper. It's the thing that every man yearns for, but only a few have the will to reach for."

Amos let himself remember his freedom for a moment longer before reality came crashing back down on him. He opened his eyes again to see Adam staring at him with serious eyes while Balto and Roni had their hands clasped together while they were crying, causing a flat look to cross Amos's face.

"What the hell is wrong with the two of you?" he grunted.

"That…that…that was so beautiful!" they both said, "You're going to be the perfect captain!"

"Stop that!" he snapped before turning back towards Adam, "Freedom is something very important to a man. You've been given a gift with the Human Human Fruit. Don't let it go now that you have it. Do you understand?"

Adam was quiet for a long moment as he thought over Amos's words carefully, "I…I want to be able to experience these things myself," he finally said, "But…I also have to look out for Bethany. If I leave, she'll be all alone."

"Then you have to choose what's more important to you. Your free will has also given you the ability to choose the things you want and to compare the value of things. Is it more important to you to stay here with Bethany, living your life listening to the men that made you? Or is it more important to experience the life you've been given? I can help you and take you away from this island, but I can't choose what you ultimately decide to do for yourself."

Adam stared down at the table again, a heavy feeling hanging in his heart. That heavy feeling was something he had felt ever since his Devil Fruit has been infused into him. Was that feeling the price of having a heart? He had constantly wondered that, but now he wondered if it was more to do with the fact that he now had decisions he had to make for himself. He hung his head low, holding it in his hands from simply not knowing what to do.

"Adam," Roni called out, causing him to peek over at her, "You have a heart, right?" she asked, earning a silent nod from him, "And people have hearts, right?" she continued, receiving another nod from him, "Then that makes you a person. And as a person, you have the right to decide what you want to do for yourself. I decided to do what I wanted here recently, and though it might have been hard, I don't regret it. And I believe that you won't regret it either," she finished with a bright smile aimed at him.

Adam stared between the trio before him, seeing them smiling or giving him reassuring stares and he suddenly felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. His mind had cleared and for a brief moment, he felt he knew what to do.

But all of that was ruined as soon as the doors to the restaurant were kicked open.

A tall woman with burnt orange hair walked in, ten, heavy iron rings covering each arm. Her gray eyes were intense as she searched the place, roaming over each table until they landed on a table far in the back where Adam sat with the trio, her eyes narrowing when she saw him.

"There he is. Go get him!" she barked out. In the next instant, marines were pouring into the restaurant, surrounding the back table where Adam sat.

Adam looked back towards Amos, his eyes clouded over once again with hesitancy and fear. Amos felt anger surge through him at the look in the man's eyes, angry that the marines had interrupted them and angry that Adam had given into them so easily. So as soon as one of the marines reached out for Adam, Amos slammed a fist down on the table. The entire restaurant froze at the sound of the slam and the fact that the wood of the table had splintered under the force of it. Amos's face was covered in shadow currently, but his voice came out in a solid, warning tone.

"Back off. Adam is currently under new protection."

"And just whose protection would that be?" the commander asked, the woman looking unfazed by the warning just given to her.

He moved forward out of the shadows, his blue eyes filled with anger and annoyance while the silver streaks in his hair shined in the dull lighting of the restaurant, "Amos Valdovas."

* * *

 **A/N:** There we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

 **Credits**

 **Commander Foley – MyDearWatson**

I greatly enjoyed the intensity of this chapter. From Commander Foley being introduced, to the conversation between Amos and Adam, and then to that ending with Foley showing up. I just greatly loved all of it! So I hope you all enjoyed it too.

And just wait for the next chapter when the real action starts up and we get to see what Balto can do! CHA! So excited!

Your reviews were great as always and I greatly thank you for them! Always the best readers I could ask for!

That should be it for this time.

I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	8. To Be Like Him

**A/N:** Whoo! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: To Be Like Him**

 **April 22** **nd** **\- Night**

The entire restaurant froze again, all the marines that had poured into the place exchanging nervous glances with each other upon hearing the name come from the large man's mouth. Amos, though, continued to wear a serious and angry face while Balto and Roni carefully watched the people around them, waiting to see who would make the next move. Commander Foley stared down Amos, her gaze not breaking away from his own. She wore her own serious face until a smirk started to spread across her face. And she began chuckling lowly until she was soon laughing outright.

"I'll hand it to you," she said after she got her laughing somewhat under control, "You had me going for a moment. Just for a moment you had me believing you were Amos Valdovas."

"You don't believe him?" Roni asked before Amos could retort. She wore an unusually serious face as she stared down Foley.

"Of course not," she answered, "Amos Valdovas has been dead for ten years. Though, I will say that you're the best impersonator I've seen to date."

"He's not an impersonator!" Roni shouted.

"He is. And if he's told you otherwise, then he's been lying to you," Commander Foley said bluntly, "You shouldn't follow him and you shouldn't be impersonating a man like Amos," she continued, looking over at Amos again, "You all end up dead if you do. I've seen plenty of fakes and the men that followed them die because they thought they could gain power by using that name."

"We're not pretending!" Roni pushed.

"Stop this nonsense!" Foley shouted, not at all pleased by the farce that she believed the group was trying to play, "That name belonged to a man that was a subordinate captain under the Yonko, Rhode Kingsley, captain of the Watchmen Pirates. That fact alone warrants enough attention for imposters to be hunted down. So adding on all the things that Amos did while he was alive to have a bounty of 200,000,000 before he died would also make imposters as a large target. Then there is the fact that he died. So if someone were to hear that he really isn't dead, well, that would make for an even larger bounty if he suddenly reappeared, alive. So any way you look at it, pretending to be that man and a follower of that man will only end in your death!"

"Then I'll die!" Roni announced without hesitancy, "At least I know when I die I'll have told the world the truth! I am a follower of Blue Steel Amos!"

Commander Foley stared down the small redhead, feeling sorry that she had been tricked by the man next to her, "You little fool," she said lowly before turning sharp eyes on Amos, "Shame on you for letting them believe your lies," she added before barking out to her men, "Capture Adam alive! If anyone gets in the way, take them out!"

Serious looks had returned to the marines' faces that surrounded the table, their guns and swords aimed at the four people that sat at it. One of the men reached for Adam again and when he did, Amos snapped again. He slammed down a fist onto the man's hand, easily crushing bone when he did. The man cried out, lifting his hand to see that it was broken in multiple places. The other marines and even Commander Foley stared at the broken hand in surprise, wondering how Amos had managed to crush his hand so easily.

Foley shook her head to rid herself of the surprise she felt, shouting at her men again, "Did you not hear me?! Get Adam and take out those that get in the way!"

At her shout, the marines began moving in on the group. As they closed in on the table, Amos yanked Adam away from them and placed him behind himself, Balto and Roni.

"Stay there," Amos grunted, "And don't do anything stupid," he added before turning back to deal with the marines, "All right, Balto," he said, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips, "Let's see how well you can still fight after ten years."

"My pleasure!" Balto said, happy to finally have something more exciting to do. He was beginning to think that getting Adam off of Cato would be uneventful which made him feel bored, so seeing all of the marines before him had drastically changed his mood, "Let's do this, Mara!" he shouted, lifting up the large, white blade. He began swinging the sword around by its wrapped hilt, thinking about how he wanted to attack first; but his current action with the sword was a good defense in keeping the marines back from them.

While the marines were forced to step back away from the blade, they took that moment to start shooting at the group, thinking bullets would easily stop them. Amos quickly stepped in front of Roni and Adam, the bullets simply clinking against his body and falling to the ground. Soon enough, the bullets stopped hitting the steel man when the white blade of Mara was moved in front of him.

"Shooting my captain regardless of his abilities is a good way of getting yourself killed," Balto said, smiling cheerfully as he said it. He then loosened the bandaging around the hilt of the sword, "Here we go then!" he shouted as he swung the blade around by the bandaging, sending it out towards the marines in front of him. Many of the men shouted and ducked, and a few unlucky men were slashed by the blade, blood flying up into the air as they fell to the floor in defeat. As the sword continued soaring through the air in the middle of the marines, Balto jumped towards it and easily caught it in his hands. He continued with its momentum, spinning in a full circle with it before coming to a stop to pose with it, "It looks like some of you aren't prepared to take on Balto Yaeger, wielder of Mara, the gunblade!"

"Balto Yaeger," Commander Foley said, the name sounding familiar. Mumblings through the room indicated that her familiarity with the name was correct. It then hit her from all the stories she heard when she was growing up from her father, "You mean Captain Yaeger of the marines?!"

"It's so nice to see that someone here remembered me finally!" Balto said, smiling widely, "Especially when I know who you are, Commander Moira Foley! Your father told me many stories about you!"

"Yes, now I remember you. You were the captain that always caused us problems! Doing whatever you liked, whenever you wanted!"

"You may think poorly of me, but at least I know how to have fun," he shrugged at her before he charged at more of her men and knocking a handful of them down, "And at least my men were properly trained on my ship. This lot seems to be a poor example of the power of the marines. Have you been keeping up their training at all while you've been here on Cato?"

"How dare you insult me and my men! Take him out!" she shouted.

"But ma'am," one of the men said, "He's Captain Yaeger. We can't attack a fellow marine."

"He's an ex-marine and he now follows liars! Take him out!"

The men made a face, having heard stories of Captain Yaeger and his abilities, but they also knew the anger they'd have to face later by their current commander, so they turned on Balto to face him properly.

"It's funny," Balto said, keeping up a conversation with Foley as he fought off the men that tried to attack him, "Your father is such a fun man. How'd he end up with a daughter that has a giant stick stuck up her ass?"

Commander Foley's face turned beet red out of pure anger at his question. He had somehow found the best ways to get under her skin and he seemed to get great joy out of it as he smiled widely at her while slashing his blade across more of her men.

"Shoot him!" she shouted in her anger.

Her men hesitated only for a moment before they listened to the order given to them. Bullets began to pour through the restaurant, Amos having to completely cover both Roni and Adam to make sure they wouldn't be hit by a stray bullet.

During the barrage of bullets, Balto swung his sword around him at a fast pace to keep the bullets from hitting him, only a few of them managing to break through his defense and skid across his skin. Though, towards the end of the attack of gunshots, he sacrificed his defense to throw his sword towards the commander. It soared through the battlefield and Balto carefully watched it as it neared Foley. Once close enough, he pulled on the white bandaging that was looped around the trigger, shooting off his own bullet at her.

Foley had been shocked, to say the least, when the gunblade appeared in front of her face. And when her eyes locked onto the gun barrel aimed at her, she barely had enough time to throw up her arms to block her face. When the marines heard a gun go off that was much louder than their own guns, they came to a halt. They turned to see smoke rising up from the top half of their commander, having them worried for a moment that she had been severely wounded. Though, as the smoke cleared it showed Foley holding up her arms that were covered by her iron rings. They were currently colored black by the commander using Armament Haki to reinforce them. The bullet was squeezed tightly in between the area where her arms met each other, but it soon clanked to the floor when she dropped her arms slightly.

As soon as she dropped her arms, Balto was on the move. He jumped forward quickly, bypassing the marines around him in a flash as he moved towards his sword and the commander. He grabbed hold of the blade and smiled as he came face to face with Foley, "Your father would have caught that bullet without breaking a sweat or looking worried," he said, motioning to the fact that she had drips of sweat rolling down the side of her face and the slightly nervous look in her eyes that she tried to hide, "Looks like you still have a long way to go, little girl."

His taunt towards her finally sent her over the edge. She pulled back a fist and slammed it straight into his gut, which Balto almost looked happy about as her fist moved forward. And he almost seemed to laugh in joy as her fist made contact with his stomach. He flew across the restaurant and broke through the wall, leaving behind a gaping hole. He skidded across the ground a few yards away from the building before finally coming to a stop.

Amos stood back up then and looked between the hole and Commander Foley to see what her next move would be.

A snarl appeared on her face, showing that she wasn't finished with the ex-marine she had just sent through the wall, "Balto Yaeger is now solely my opponent!" she shouted, looking at her men, "Turn your focus on the wannabe Amos Valdovas and Adam! Just make sure Adam is captured alive!"

"Aye!"

With their shout of an answer, Foley raced through the restaurant and out the hole that Balto's body had made.

The marines then looked towards trio left in the restaurant, still thinking they had a chance to win. Amos stared flatly at them, wondering if they had remembered at all that their bullets had simply bounced off of him.

"Roni!"

"Aye, captain?!"

Amos's eye twitched at her response, "I'm not your captain!"

"But you let Balto say it earlier!" she said, stomping a foot on the ground as she placed her hands on her hips.

"That's…this isn't….it's not the same thing!" he retorted, not being able to come up with a better retort at the moment, "That was in the heat of the moment!"

"Then I was in the heat of the moment too!"

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was!"

"Whatever! Do want to blow stuff up or not?!"

"Ohhhhhh!" she replied, dropping the argument in an instant. She clasped her hands together as he eyes grew wide in excitement, "You're really going to let me blow something up?!"

"Yes!"

"What then?!"

"Them!" he said, pointing to the marines in front of them.

"I'm on it!" she said, smiling as she pulled out six cherry bombs from her backpack. She lit them up and held them in between her fingers as she began laughing, "Shehehehehehe! You'll all regret the day you messed with Cherry Bomb Roni!" she announced while striking a pose with the bombs. She then looked back at Amos with a look of pride, "What do you think of that title? I've been thinking about it for a while now."

Amos ran a hand over his face, still trying to figure out how he had ended up with the woman in front of him and why he continued to let her force him into things. She then started to chirp his name over and over again to get an answer out of him, causing him to snap, "It's just damn peachy! Now throw the stupid bombs already!"

"Aye, captain!" she said again, causing Amos's eye to twitch again. Though, this time he didn't have any time to argue with her as she threw the bombs at the marines. They went off with loud bangs, hitting several of the men in the process. They also created a smoke screen for Amos to work in, running through the restaurant and knocking out men that hadn't been taken out by the bombs. Amos worked quickly and in a matter of minutes, the marines in the place were all on the floor.

Amos rolled his shoulders after he was finished, looking back at Roni and Adam, "We should go help Balto then," he said as he walked up to them. He stopped when he stood in front of Adam, "But I hope you realize that right now everyone but you is fighting for your freedom. You need to make a decision on what you want to do. You had an answer for us before that commander broke in here, so what was it? Do you want your freedom, Adam?"

Adam stood quietly as Amos stared him down and Roni smiled up at him. He then looked around at the destruction, seeing what these people were willing to do for him. He looked back up at Amos with clear eyes again, "I want my freedom."

"Then fight for it."

Amos walked away from him after that, moving towards the hole in the restaurant.

Adam watched after him, seeing how strong Amos seemed in that moment and wishing he could be that strong too, "I want to be like him," he said softly, but Roni had heard him.

"I know, right?" she said, still smiling up at him, "He inspired me too."

"Do you think I can be like him?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Mmm, no," she said, watching as his shoulders dropped, "But you can use him as inspiration like me. And then you can become you. Even if you can't become him, I think that if you try really hard, you can become someone great like Amos. Become great, Adam, but also become you."

Adam thought on her words for a moment, a smile soon appearing on his face, "I will. I want to show Amos that I can become a great man too."

Roni smiled in return, "Well then, let's go fight for that!"

He nodded at her as they walked towards the hole to join Amos.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

So this chapter was great since we got a little bit of information on a Yonko and Roni's nickname! And we finally got to see Balto fight! More to come in the next chapter for him, but I honestly love to write him in fighting scenes! He's honestly a character that enjoys fighting no matter who it's with and I enjoy his fighting style with Mara. Plus, I've come to enjoy characters with gunblades…for numerous reasons, lol. So it makes it extra fun for me to write him fighting. And next chapter it'll only get better since he finally got Commander Foley all riled up! GAH! I seriously can't wait for you guys to see that entire fight scene! It's gonna be great!

Anyways, just a quick note here. Amos's bounty is meant to be that high, considering who he was sided with when he was a captain ten years ago and the fact that he was stationed in the Grand Line at that point in time. And then there's obviously all the stuff he did while he was captain that caused his bounty to rise too. So it seemed fitting for him. Just in case anyone had questions on that.

Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! They were all great! :3 And it seems like you all enjoy Foley's character, so I was very happy to see that!

That should be it for this time!

I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	9. White Steel vs Black Iron

**A/N:** Well hot damn! Another update already! CHA!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 9: White Steel vs. Black Iron**

 **April 22 – Night**

Foley came rushing out of the building just as Balto was pushing himself back to his feet. He was rubbing his stomach, looking up in time to see the flash of orange coming towards him.

"Duck and cover!" he shouted as he ran from the spot.

Commander Foley didn't have time to change the aim of her attack, having to follow through with her punch as she watched Balto manage to run off to the side of her attack. She came down with her right fist, punching into the ground hard. With her years of training in the way of the Iron Wire Fist and her haki still in place, it caused a huge crater to appear in the ground. Dust and dirt flew upwards around her as the ground vibrated from her attack. As the dust settled, the moon showed her standing in the crater of cracked ground, her fierce stare fixed on the ground where Balto should have been.

Balto whistled as he walked around the edge of the crater, "That's quite a hole there," he said, once again twirling Mara up above him again, "It's good to see you don't let your men do all the fighting. Although, I still say they need way more training," he said, pointing back towards the hole he had created in the restaurant wall.

Foley glared at him for a moment before looking back to see Amos standing within the hole along with Roni and Adam. Beyond them she could catch glimpses of her men lying on the floor of the restaurant. She could feel heat rise to her face again as anger coursed through her. Her teeth gnashed together as she set her sights on Balto again.

"Oh, careful there," he said with a smile, "You might pop a blood vessel if you squeeze your face any harder."

"Shut up! Will you just shut up already?!" she shouted as she made a bee line for the man. She held her right fist next to her body closely as she charged him. Once close enough, she took a firm stance and slammed her fist forward with as much force as she could muster.

Balto quickly moved Mara in front of him to block the punch. And while the sword did the trick of blocking his body from being hit, this didn't stop him from sliding across the ground quite a ways from the crater and down the street. Once he finally came to a stop, he could see a trail that his feet had left from him attempting to dig into the ground with them to stop himself. He then looked down to Mara to make sure the blade wasn't chipped or cracked from the attack. Lifting it up into the moonlight, he was thankful to see that she was still in one piece, but he knew he would have to be careful. The blade would only be able to take so many of those hits in a row before breaking.

He soon had to pull his attention away from his blade when he heard quick footsteps heading his way. He looked ahead of him to see Commander Foley running straight for him. He quirked an eyebrow at her, figuring she had already learned that a full frontal assault like that wouldn't work all that easily. He simply shrugged in response as he jumped up high and flipped over her when she attempted to throw another punch at him. As he flipped and turned to face her while soaring backwards in the air, he threw out Mara towards her, the gunblade aimed at her right side. He pulled on the white wrapping around the trigger to shoot off another bullet at her.

Foley had managed to see the sword coming at her and moved an iron covered arm to block the bullet aimed at her side. It made a loud clank against her rings before falling to the ground, the commander twisting and slamming a leg into Balto's side in the process of the bullet falling. While her kicks did not have as much force as her punches, it was still enough to knock the man out of the air and back down to the ground. She didn't give him any time to think out a next move as she was on him like lightning, throwing punch after punch at him.

Balto did his best to dodge each attack without having to use Mara to block the punches, but there had still been a few times he had to use the white blade to deflect Foley, 'Shit,' he thought as her fist made another connection with his sword, 'I need to figure out a way to put a bit of distance between us or else she's gonna punch Mara into dust!'

He took a moment to take a deep breath and carefully watch the commander's movements. He noticed while her punches were fast and hard and her stance was quite solid, there was a fraction of moment when she had to pull herself back into her stance after throwing a punch. He would have to be precise, but he could use that moment in order to take advantage of the fight. He waited a few punches to properly time it out, but he soon found his body moving after the third punch. He pushed her down further with his free hand and quickly jumped up onto her back.

"Thanks for the lift!" he smirked as he launched himself up into the air, using her body as leverage. As soon as he pushed off of her, he flew up into the air while she was pushed into the ground with her face skidding across the dirt road. While he was up in the air, he threw out Mara back towards her by the white bandaging. The blade landed in the ground right next to her face just as she was lifting it up, "Now then," he said as he landed a few yards from her, "Since we finally have some even playing field here, are you sure you want to continue, little girl?"

Commander Foley growled as she pushed herself back to her feet. She whipped around to face Balto, dirt smudged across her face, "Stop calling me a little girl! I was the one that just had you in a corner!"

"Ah, but I had to let you feel like you had a chance, even if it was just for a moment," he said, smiling widely at her.

Foley began shouting in anger, causing Balto to laugh in response to her reaction.

"Amos," Roni said, the trio still standing in the hole of the restaurant, "I thought you said we were going to help him."

"We will, but only when it looks like he needs it," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "I'm pretty sure he's having too much fun right now for me to try and end things quickly."

Roni nodded in agreement and soon took a seat on top of the rubble next to Amos with Adam standing close by her.

"So I suppose this means you want to continue then?" Balto asked when he had become bored of hearing her ranting.

"Of course it does! There's no way in hell you're winning!"

"Then let's get started again!" he said, yanking on the white bandaging of Mara. The sword was pulled back towards him, skimming right across the commander's left side. A darker red spot began to appear on her shirt from the wound he had inflicted on her, "You really need to start watching yourself here!"

"You should really take your own advice!" she retorted as she charged towards him again.

Balto decided to humor her this time and charged at her as well. White steel and black iron clanked against each other, the sound echoing throughout the streets of Cato. The two pushed back and forth against each other, each trying to overpower the other in the process.

"It's only a matter of time before that sword gives out on you," Foley said.

"I guess I should inform you then that I have a little trick up my sleeve. I'm sure your father didn't tell you everything about me," he said, his smile never faltering.

He then pushed forward with everything he had and side stepped her, only pulling the white bandaging along with him at first. Once he was on the other side of her, he yanked Mara back to him, the blade slicing across her side again as he did so. She spun from the hit made on her side and her eyes went wide as she stumbled forward. Directly in front of her was Mara, its hilt dug into the ground with the sharp tip of the sword pointed up at her. She was about to fall face first onto the blade when a hand against her head stopped her. When she opened her eyes, the tip was pressed lightly against her nose while her heart was beating hard.

"You should feel lucky, little girl," Balto said, having been the one to stop her from falling onto the sword, "You're the first person who I haven't let die from this attack. And you can probably thank your father for that."

Foley let her shock turn into anger once again as she swung herself backwards to stand properly on her feet again, smacking Balto's hands off of her in the process. She pulled both of her fists back and stepped forward towards Balto as she moved her fists forward at the same time, "Black Iron Tusks!" she shouted as she aimed her fists towards his chest where his heart was located.

Balto watched as her fists neared him, knowing he didn't have enough time to dodge or grab hold of Mara again. For a moment, he thought that this might have been the end of the road, but at least he would have gone out in an exciting way. But instead of feeling pain rush through his chest, he instead heard a loud boom land in front of him followed by a hiss of pain from Foley. He finally peeked his eyes open that he had shut just moments before to see Amos standing in between him and the commander. Balto blinked a few times before realization hit him and he dove in to hug the steel man tightly.

"You really do care!" Balto declared.

"Get off me!" Amos shouted as he pushed the man off with his free hand. Balto did let go, figuring he'd end up with a knot on his head if he hugged the man any longer, "Fucking weirdo," Amos mumbled as he turned back to the commander, "Sorry, but this is where your fight ends."

Foley stared down at her fists to see that Amos had stopped them with one hand. His arm should have been the one that was broken, but instead she was the one standing there hissing in pain. She had been used to punching hard things. She didn't have too much of a problem punching the white steel sword earlier, but she was suddenly in pain from making contact with the man's hand in front of her.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking up at his blue eyes.

"I already told you," he said, easily pushing her away from him, "I'm Amos Valdovas."

She narrowed her eyes at him, still not wanting to believe that the man before was Blue Steel Amos. Though, before she had a moment to start arguing with him, she felt several jabs on her body with one final one to her neck that had her falling to the ground. When she fell, it revealed Roni standing behind her with a smile.

"What did you do?" Balto asked, staring down at the crumpled commander.

"Pressure points! Everyone should know them!" she said.

Balto made a face to show that he was impressed and nodded his head in agreement before picking Mara up and lifting it up over his shoulder. He then looked over at Amos, "Thanks for stepping in and saving me, captain!"

"For the last damn time!" Amos started, "I'm not your captain!"

"Whatever you say," Balto shrugged, "But it's still appreciated. It's good to know that Mara didn't have to be sacrificed during that fight."

"You should still look over it later though," Amos said.

"Yeah, yeah," he answered, "But where to now? Do we want to leave the island tonight?"

Amos looked back at all the damage that was made behind them and all the people they had taken out during it, "Yeah, it'd be better if we left sooner rather than later. But we no longer have a boat."

"What happened to it?" Balto asked.

"His fat butt sunk it!" Roni said, pointing up at Amos. This caused sweat drops to appear on the rest of the groups' heads.

"Well then," Balto said, a smile once again on his face, "You're in luck. I happen to have a boat with me that's large enough to hold all four of us."

"Then lead the way," Amos said, the group following Balto away from the destruction.

 **. : + : .**

Richard Arkwright watched the four people from an alleyway as they walked away from the restaurant.

"I should have known better than to leave things in Miss Foley's hands," he said as he slunk back to the other side of the alley. He fixed his clothes and brushed off any dirt that might have gotten onto him as he walked out into the moonlight. He smiled slyly as he stared at the force that stood before him, "Looks like I will have to use the new military based robots I have been working on to deal with that lot and get Adam back," he said as the moonlight spilled across the large robot army that stood before him, "Your freedom will never be yours, Adam."

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!

CHA! That was so much fun to write! I was just so excited about it that I just had to write it today! And Balto really just is too much fun to write in a fight! So super quick update for you all!

Thanks to those of you that reviewed last chapter! And thanks to all of you reading the story as well! It's always appreciated! :3

That's it for this time.

I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	10. I Will Become My Own Steel Man!

**A/N:** CHA! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: I Will Become My Own Steel Man!**

 **April 22** **nd** **– Night**

"So Kronikka Haley Gina Marshall Bailey the twenty-first must ask!" Roni started as the group quickly made their way to the docks, "Your boat won't break when Amos gets on it, will it?"

Balto started laughing as he glanced back Amos, "She's already turning out to be a good first mate by looking out for you like that," he said, earning an unamused glare from Amos. Balto then turned to look at Roni, "Delilah should be big enough to carry him…so long as he doesn't jump around on it. Don't worry."

"All right!" she smiled before turning a serious face back on Amos, "Your fat butt is to step carefully on the deck and then sit in one place for the rest of the ride."

"So annoying," Amos said with a roll of his eyes.

"There she is!" Balto called out, stopping any further arguments from continuing. The group looked ahead of them to see a large lugger tied at the dock closest to them. The shining moon revealed the name 'Delilah' along the side of it in thick, square lettering, "She's beautiful, right?!"

"She's definitely better than the dinghy we started out in," Roni said.

"You'll love her once we set sail," Balto said as they made their way down to the dock it sat beside.

Though, Adam soon came to a halt, stopping a few feet short of the beginning of the dock. He watched as the group continued their way to the boat, but he couldn't help but feel a small nagging in the back of his mind. He turned to face the island again, staring off where he knew the Arkwright home sat. His eyes took on a sad look at the thought of not even bidding Bethany goodbye. She would wake up and he would be gone without an explanation. What would she think of him in the morning? Would she hate him? Cry over him? He hated the thought of the small girl crying and he being the one to make her cry.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked beside him to see blue eyes staring him down.

"This is where you really make your choice," Amos said, "Are you coming with us?"

Adam swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath as he straightened out his back. He would have to trust that one day Bethany would understand his choices. But he had free will now and he wanted to know what that really meant, so he would have to leave behind the girl that cared for him in order to do that.

"I'm coming with you."

Amos gave his shoulder a squeeze before turning back towards the docks. Adam moved to follow him, but rumbling through the ground stopped him. Amos stopped just as quickly as the robot did, both men looking back over their shoulders to try and see what was coming. Balto and Roni felt the vibrations next, the two of them looking up from the boat to stare inland along with Amos and Adam. Balto quickly retied the rope he had begun to unwind, moving Mara back up onto his shoulder when he stood back up.

"What is that?" Roni asked.

From out of the trees, a dark haired man stepped forward, his lips moving up into a smile when his eyes landed on the group at the docks. He continued walking forward, the trees bending behind him as a large robot appeared. Its body was a mixture of dark green and black metal while its eyes were a burning red. It was bulky with thick limbs and the sheer weight of it broke the ground underneath its feet. And right in the center of its chest were the initials 'AW' with a circle around it in white.

"Mr. Arkwright," Adam breathed out, fear lacing the name he had uttered.

"That would be an obstacle to free will," Amos said, glaring at the man walking towards them. The closer he and the robot came towards them, more and more robots poured out behind them. Once Richard Arkwright came to stand just a few yards in front of them, an entire army of the large robots stood before them.

"You seem to have something that belongs to me," Richard said, pointing at Adam, "If you would kindly give me my property back, then I will let you be on your way without any further complications."

"Adam isn't property!" Roni snapped, "He's a person!"

"Correction," Richard said, his smirk never faltering, "He is a robot of my creation which makes him my property."

"You can't own something that has free will!"

"It's no use arguing with him," Amos said, glancing back at Roni briefly before looking back at Richard, "He's dead set on believing that he owns Adam," he added, his gaze moving over towards said man, "You're going to have to fight this time."

Adam looked uncertain when Amos spoke to him, "I…I really don't know how to though."

"Do you know how to throw a punch?" Balto asked, earning a hesitant nod from Adam, "Then you know how to fight."

"And you have a Devil Fruit!" Roni added, "That has to mean something."

"She's right," Amos said, "You have the Human Human Fruit. That doesn't just make you a free man, Adam, it also gives you powers."

"What powers? I haven't been able to do anything since I was given the fruit!"

"That's something you have to figure out on your own," Amos answered, "All Devil Fruit users figure out their powers at some point. Looks like you just have to find something worth fighting for, like your freedom."

"I am becoming tired of waiting," Richard said, "Come Adam. It is time to go home."

Adam stared between Richard and Amos, glancing back and forth between them. His gaze eventually moved down to his hands. He saw that they were clean and smooth – hands of a man that didn't have a choice. He then glanced over at Amos's hands to see that they looked rough and even spied a few light scars across them – hands of a man that had fought countless enemies to ensure he kept his freedom. He realized then that he had been given a chance to become a man like that. To dream and smile and live as he wanted. He had the ability to choose what he wanted unlike his robot brethren on the island, unlike the robot army before him.

His hands balled into fists as he looked back up at Richard, "No."

Richard looked caught off guard by the answer, having to think out how to respond for a moment, "No? What do you mean no? I am your creator and you shall listen to me!"

"I won't," Adam said, "I have a chance to make my own decisions and I don't want to let that go."

"You cannot make your own decisions. You are simply given orders that you must follow. You have been created with the sole purpose of watching my daughter."

"And your daughter believes that I am a person!"

"Bethany is just a child believing in fairy tales. Soon enough she will simply see you as the robot you are as well."

"That's not true!" Adam shouted, his lips trembling at the thought of Bethany not believing in his humanity, "Bethany sees me as a person! As a man that can make his own decisions! Why else would she give me my own name?!"

"Because she is a child. She will grow up soon enough and begin to give you orders as well!"

"No! I refuse to believe that's true!" he continued, a wetness at his eyes surprising him. He lifted a hand to his face to touch the wetness, realizing that they were tears. He hadn't even thought he could cry before, but there they were on his fingertips and running down his face. He knew then that if he could cry like that, then he had to be a man. No other robot had the ability to cry. He looked back at Richard with a new and fierce determination in his eyes, "She named me! She treated me like a human! Talked to me and smiled at me like one! I won't let you tarnish those memories!"

"You think just because she named you, you are a man now?!" Richard shouted, "She names everything she sees. Animals, insects, stuffed animals! This does not make them men! You are a robot without a choice!" he finished with a snap of his fingers. This caused one of the robots behind him to start moving forward, "Bring him to me!"

"I am Adam!" he shouted, standing his ground against the military machine heading for him, "I have a choice! I have free will! And I can have dreams!" he practically screamed while tears still ran down his face. But there was no longer hesitation and doubt in his words and voice. He pulled back a fist as the robot came nearer and sent a glare right at it, "I want to be like the man that told me about freedom! I want to experience all the things that freedom is to him! And then I want to be able to tell him one day my own definition of freedom!" he continued, putting every ounce of force he had into his arm and fist as he moved it forward. The giant robot took one last step forward before Adam's fist slammed into its chest, his hand going straight through the Arkwright symbol on it and grabbing onto the control system within it. He then yanked out the metal box that controlled it and held it in his hand as the robot stood silent for a moment before its red eyes went out and it slammed onto the ground.

Richard Arkwright stood frozen in shock as he watched his machine go down, his eyes meeting Adam's once it was on the ground. Adam's eyes were fierce and alive as he stared him down while pieces of his skin had been torn away from the punch, revealing solid metal underneath. Though, the skin was quickly rebuilding itself while Adam kept his eyes focused on the professor, causing Richard to take a slight step back.

"I will become my own steel man!" Adam roared as he crushed the metal box in his hands.

Roni's eyes went wide in excitement as she shouted, "So cool!"

Amos and Balto simply smiled in response. Though Balto's appeared to be a bit wider in anticipation for the battle that was about to happen.

Richard looked panicked. He realized now that his words only ensured that Adam would take his freedom and that he would no longer be able to take him back to his home and tame him. Not with that fierce look in his eyes. And not after that declaration. It seemed that he only had one choice left.

"Destroy them all!" he shouted, sending out the rest of the robot army towards the group that stood before him. The robots began to move forward, but instead of the terrified looks that Richard had expected from the group, they all simply smiled in response, "You are all crazy if you think you will win this fight!"

"I think crazy is putting it lightly, don't you, Amos?" Balto said, as he rolled his shoulders to ready himself for battle.

"For once, I agree with you," Amos said, a smirk appearing his face, "We've both been called much worse back in the day."

"Well, I guess we get to start showing the world what crazy really is again!" Balto said, a huge grin on his face.

"This is gonna be super fun!" Roni said as she pulled her backpack off her shoulders and unzipped it, "And I have just the perfect thing for these robots! You mind rounding up a few for me, Balto?!"

"Of course!"

"Then let's do this!" she said with her own wide smile now in place.

Amos nodded to them as he looked over at Adam with pride in his eyes, "Glad to see you found something to fight for. So how about we show him how steel men fight?"

Adam's eyes lit up in surprise at Amos prompting that they fight together. A carefree smile finally graced his face, one that seemed to fit him very well and one that Amos was determined to keep in place, "It would be an honor, Mr. Amos!"

"Still being so formal," Amos mumbled, "Let's go!"

The group turned to face the oncoming army, smiles across all their faces. At Amos's shout they all charged towards the giant robots, determined to win the fight and land a punch on the man that didn't have the nerve to face them on his own.

 **. : + : .**

Bethany huffed as she managed to crawl out a window on the first story of her home, her blue hair shining in the moonlight. She looked up towards the moon to see how far it had moved, hoping that she would make it to where Adam was in time.

"Daddy went too far this time," she mumbled as she began to run away from her large home.

It wasn't surprising she had woken up in the middle of the night. The heavy stomping of the army her father had put together was enough to wake even the heaviest of sleepers. She had seen the army moving out from her bedroom window, and when she didn't see Adam sitting in her room reading a book in the moonlight like he normally did when she was sleeping, instant worry poured over her. She knew that something was wrong and that the army she saw marching away from the house was more than likely meant for her best friend.

"I can't let him hurt Adam," she said, continuing her run, heading through the forest and towards the area where she could hear loud noises coming from, "Please let me get there in time!"

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

I completely loved that moment with Adam this chapter! It's been a bit hard writing him with how he's been. When I first came up with Adam's character, the way I pictured him is how he becomes after Amos and Co. help him. So to write him in these recent chapters where he's first introduced and he's much more meek and mild, well, it really was hard to keep him that way since he becomes so much fun after all this stuff goes down. So I was really excited to get to write him telling Richard off.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! It means a lot!

I should have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	11. How to Fight an Army

**A/N:** New chapter time! CHA!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 11: How to Fight an Army**

 **April 22** **nd** **– Night**

Amos was the first to reach one of the military robots, quickly slamming a steel covered fist across its face. This caused its head to spin around and allowing Amos to make a second punch to its chest to rip out the control box like Adam had done previously. Its red eyes blinked out before it slammed down onto the ground, causing another robot to trip over it.

Adam took the opportunity given to him to use Amos as leverage. He pushed off of the steel man from his shoulder to throw himself up into the air, Amos not even budging from the pressure on his shoulder. Adam flipped while up in the air and came back down on the second fallen robot, and before it could get back up, Adam slammed down through the middle of its chest with his feet. He briefly looked up at Amos to smile widely at him, feeling what he believed was confidence for the first time when Amos simply nodded at him.

"Do not just charge them!" Richard shouted over the chaos, "Use the weapons you have been given!"

At his shout, the military units began to shift the metal casing over their shoulders. The metal moved upwards to reveal several missiles within their shoulders. The projectiles went off without any further warning, heading straight towards Amos and Adam.

"Ohhh, what's he gonna do?! What's he gonna do?!" Roni said, stopping her movements to watch how Amos would get away from the missiles.

Balto watched the scene as well, rubbing his chin in thought. Soon, his eyes lit up when he remembered a move, looking down at Roni with excited eyes.

She looked up at him with the same excitement, seeming to have thought of the same thing.

The two grabbed hands again with wide smiles as they announced, "The Unbreakable Steel Shield! Followed by Thundering Steel Hammers!"

Amos only rolled his eyes in response to their giddy shouting before returning his attention to the missiles coming his way. He quickly yanked Adam behind him as he threw his left arm up in front of him. Metal raced across his skin until his entire arm was covered in the silver coating. Then his arm was soon changing shape, being stretched up and down until it created a large and thick steel rectangle. It covered him and Adam just in time for the missiles to hit it. And while they left burn marks on the steel and forced Amos to dig his feet into the ground, the shield stayed in one piece without any cracks.

As the onslaught of weaponry continued, Amos began pushing forward towards the closest two robots that were shooting at him, Adam helping to push him along. When they could see the robots' feet from under the shield, Amos came to a stop and transformed his right arm into a huge, steel hammer. He glanced back at Adam, smirking when he saw the curious look on the man's face.

"You want to be a steel man, right?" Amos asked.

"Yes, Mr. Amos!"

"Then you have to use everything you have to keep charging and using brute force against your enemies. Don't stop. Even when you're knocked down, don't stop. You keep moving forward with the strength of steel!"

After his shout, Amos put his shield down and threw forward the hammer all in the same motion, appearing much more graceful than Adam thought a man could who had just been talking about using brute force. The hammer came down on one robot, instantly slamming it to the ground in a thundering crunch. The robot that had been standing by the crushed one turned to aim more missiles at Amos. Though, the steel man didn't give it any time to launch another attack, spinning in the air and turning his left arm into another hammer all in another graceful, fluid motion. He swung his left arm out at the robot, slamming the hammerhead into its chest and crushing it to pieces as well. Amos landed with a heavy thump on the ground, his arms up at the ready, now looking like regular fists again, albeit still covered in steel.

"So awesome!" Roni and Balto shouted in the background, still giddy over seeing his moves.

Balto then came to a halt as he looked down at a grinning Roni, "Hey, wait. How do you know all his moves?"

"I…uh…I…well, how do you know them?!" she managed to retort.

"I was a marine that used to have battles with Amos."

"Oh yeah, that is true," Roni mumbled, accidentally thinking out loud, "I do remember reading your na-"

Roni quickly shut her mouth and started laughing nervously, "Well, ya know," she said, waving her hand in a nonchalant manner, "It's not like they didn't talk about Amos in the newspapers ten years ago. So yeah, that's where I got them from."

Balto eyed her carefully, obviously not believing anything she was telling him. Though, he didn't have any more time to think about it when he heard Amos shouting back towards them.

"Incoming attack!"

Balto and Roni looked up to see missiles heading straight for them.

"Shit," Balto cursed as he lifted Mara up to block the attack. He attempted to grab Roni to pull her behind him, but she moved out of his reach to face the missiles, "What are you doing?!"

"Don't worry!" she said, smiling back at him as she dug through her backpack, "I can handle this!"

"Don't be stupid!" Balto shouted, moving forward to try and make another grab for her.

She slinked away from him again, her smile growing as her hand had finally found what it was looking for. She pulled out three cherry bombs in between her fingers, spinning on her heels to throw them out towards the missiles. The impact of bomb meeting bomb had explosions simultaneously going off and causing several other missiles to veer off course and explode as well.

"See? Told you I could do it!" she announced, missing the fact that there was one more missile heading her way through the smoke.

"Stupid!" Amos shouted, causing her to turn and see the weapon heading straight towards her.

Her eyes grew wide, the redhead knowing she didn't have time to reach into her backpack and grab another bomb. She moved to cover her head with her arms, waiting for the explosion to happen. Her entire body flinched when she heard the explosion, but she was surprised to feel no pain. She peeked one eye open to see the large, white blade of Mara in front of her. She dropped her arms and glanced behind her to see Balto staring down at her with an unusually straight face. Black marks covered both Balto and herself from the explosion, but both of them appeared to be unharmed.

"I told you not to be stupid," Balto said.

She instantly puffed her cheeks out at him, "I got most of them!"

"Getting most of them doesn't keep you alive in battle. Remember that."

"I still got more than you," she mumbled, looking down at the ground.

"And if that missile cracked Mara, you're paying to get her repaired."

"What?!" Roni shouted, "But I don't have any money!"

"You should have thought about that before you jumped in front of missiles."

"Ammmmoooooossssssss!" she whined.

"OI!" Amos shouted at the both of them, "Stop fighting while we're already fighting!"

"Aye, captain!" they both answered.

"And don't call me captain! Dammit!"

"Didn't you just say-"

"I know what I said!" Amos snapped, interrupting Adam. It was at that moment that a heavy, robotic arm swung inwards, slamming into Amos and sending him flying across the open area, back towards the docks. His body crashed onto the deck of a large ship, smashing through and completely destroying the navigation cabin.

"Burn and tear holes through them all!" Richard shouted.

The military units still standing all lifted their arms up and their hands disappeared to reveal large guns, some shooting regular bullets while others were equipped to shoot fireballs. And without any hesitation, they all began shooting off their guns, causing torrents of bullets and fireballs to head towards the three still standing.

Roni stared at the barrage of bullets and fire coming towards them worriedly before quickly looking up towards Balto, "So how many of those robots can you round up for me? I need them in a circle!"

"What are you planning on doing this time?"

She pulled out an object from her backpack to show him, causing him to smirk once again.

"All right," he said, "I'm with you on this plan. Can you manage to keep safe until I get them ready for you?"

"Aye!" she said as she jumped over towards the first robot that Adam had taken out and ducked down behind it.

Balto, feeling satisfied she was safe enough for now, turned back towards the robots. He blocked what bullets and fireballs he could with Mara, some of the fire managing to get past her and crawl across his skin. He ignored the burning sensation for now and waited for an opening. He glanced over at Adam to see that he wasn't really affected all that much by the attack, his robot body being able to handle the bullets and fire. Balto got an idea in his head and whistled loudly to get Adam's attention. He then made a hand motion for Adam to come towards him.

"What is it?" Adam asked.

"You're quite sturdy, aren't you?" he asked, the smirk on his face having Adam fearing whatever he was planning, "Here, stand right…there!" he said, moving Adam to stand directly in front of him.

"You're using me as a shield?" Adam asked, his face falling.

"Aye!"

"What?! Do you know how messed up that is?!"

"You can handle it! You're taking the hits right now!"

"That doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt!"

"Stop your whining," Balto said as he was preparing Mara for his next move, "It's more like bee stings for you rather than gaping, burning holes for me."

"I feel like you exaggerated that…"

"Doesn't matter anymore. Besides, you're doing a wonderful job!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better about being a human shield!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Balto said, still simply smiling, "Now shut up for a minute while I take care of some things here."

If Adam continued arguing with him, Balto didn't hear it as he glanced over Adam's shoulder to see where he need to throw Mara. He targeted several of the robots and created a path in his head of where he needed to send his blade. Once he went over the path in his head and the movements he would need to make for a third time, he felt like he was ready.

He swung Mara out wide and released it in time to have her round back around towards one of the robots. Once the blade was right under the arms of the first machine, Balto pulled on the white wrapping to have the sword swing upwards and slice its arms off. Mara continued upwards for a moment before Balto made another tug on the binding to move the blade down across the next robot's arms. He continued zig-zagging Mara through the air until he had cut off six pairs of mechanical arms. He then yanked Mara back towards him before quickly throwing her back out again to wrap the bindings around the six machines he had previously attacked. They were all forced into a circle, their backs all slamming up against one another before one last tight pull on Mara had them falling down as one.

"I got 'em!" Balto said, signaling for Roni to start making her move.

She made sure she had a tight hold on her backpack, took a deep breath, and then leapt over the fallen robot she had been hiding behind. She still had to do her best to outrun the bullets being aimed at her from the robots still standing, having to jump behind other fallen robots in the process. Though, in her last dash towards Balto, a bullet managed to lodge itself into her upper left arm. She hissed and grabbed her arm with her hand, blood already seeping through her fingers.

"Oi! Don't stop running!" Balto shouted when he saw her speed slow.

A fireball whizzing just over the top of her head and singeing a few pieces of hair had her jumping into high gear again. She zipped her way to stand behind Balto, panting when she was finally able to come to a stop.

"You all right?" Adam asked, both men looking down to see the blood dripping down her pale arm.

Roni looked down at the wound too, but quickly looked back up at both men with a smile, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I have a job to do first!"

Balto nodded his head at her, returning her smile, "Then get to it little miss!"

She gave him a quick salute before bounding off again towards the six robots that Balto had brought down. She came to a sliding stop in front of the first robot, using its fallen body to keep her shielded against the robots that were still shooting at her. She began pulling equipment out of her bag and wasted no time slapping a plastic bomb onto the robot's chest. She followed the wiring to the next plastic bomb and placed that on the second robot. She was easily able to do this with the third one as well, but reaching the forth robot was proving to be a bit more hazardous, considering rounding the forth robot meant she no longer had a shield against the onslaught of bullets and fireballs.

"Can someone check on Amos?! I could really use his help right now!" she shouted.

Balto looked over towards the ship that Amos had been knocked into to see that the steel man still hadn't moved from it. He then looked back at Adam, a smirk spreading across his face.

"Whatever you have planned, I don't want to be a part of it!" Adam shouted.

"This is for your freedom!"

"This is for your entertainment!"

"Same difference," Balto said as he started to poke at Adam's body.

"What are you doing?"

"Can't you transform or something? A four wheeler or something would be really great right now."

"Why do you think I can just magically transform?"

"Because you're a robot! And a robot that ate the Human Human Fruit!"

"I thought that made me a man?!"

"It does! But you should also be able to transform!"

"That doesn't make any sense, Mr. Balto!"

As the two continued to argue, Roni looked down at the robots that had been captured, seeing them beginning to move again in an attempt to stand up. Luckily, they hadn't figured out how to work as one yet, so they continued to fall back to the ground. Though, this didn't bring any relief to Roni who still had three other bombs to connect to them. She wasn't sure what was taking Amos so long with getting back up and it didn't seem like Balto and Adam would make their way over towards him any time soon.

"I guess I just have to go for it," she mumbled. She grabbed hold of the last three plastic bombs and made sure her backpack was securely behind the first three robots. She took another deep breath and steeled herself for what she was about to do, "Just make it around three robots. That's all I have to do," she said before tears started to stream down her face, "While bullets and fireballs are coming right at me non-stop!"

She shook her head and steadied herself again, "I am Kronikka Meryl Angela Davis Lovell the fifty-sixth! I can do this!" she shouted right before running out from behind the third robot. She made it to the fourth robot with ease, slapping the plastic bomb onto its chest, "One!" she counted, running for the fifth. She had to stop and arch her back to dodge a fireball, but she still felt a bullet hit and skid across the back of her left calf. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out and moved forward again.

"Shoot her!" Richard shouted, "For crying out loud! She is one, little woman! How hard can it be to take her down?!"

His shout traveled across the area, reaching the boat that Amos was lying in. Everything was a little fuzzy for Amos at first, not having been hit that hard in a long time. He managed to lift himself up out of the rubble slowly, pushing pieces of wood off of himself. He felt a twinge of pain in his chest when he moved, bringing a hand to rub across it. He was sure there was a large bruise there already from the metal arm that had been slammed into him. He had been stupid not to change his entire body into metal, but it was too late now to sulk over it.

As he began to dust himself off, he realized all the noise going on outside. He recognized many of the sounds as guns going off, causing him to quickly move out of the destroyed cabin. Once he was on the deck of the large boat, he could see bullets and fireballs being shot off from the robots still standing. He could see Adam and Balto arguing and just a few yards in front of them was Roni running around a circle of robots.

"What the hell?!" he said as he watched the redhead dodge a fireball only to have a bullet skid across the back of her leg. And he noticed the gunshot on her arm too. He looked back over at Balto and Adam, narrowing his eyes at them, "Dumbasses!" he hissed as he backed up a bit further on the boat. He then took off running, the wood of the ship breaking every time he stepped down. He then launched himself off of the stern and out passed the docks. He landed on solid ground, creating two large craters from his landing. The noise from his landing also caused Balto, Adam and Richard to all look over at him.

"Hey! There you are!" Balto shouted.

"Don't 'hey' me!" Amos snapped, "We're going to talk later!"

"What? But what did I do?" he asked, sending the steel man a fake pout.

Amos pointed out towards Roni with a heated look.

Balto and Adam both turned to look at what he was pointing at, causing both of their eyes to go wide, "What the hell is she doing?!" they both shouted.

"Two!" Roni shouted after she managed to place the bomb on the fifth robot, "Just one more!"

It was then that one of the military units stepped forward and combined both of its arms together, ones that had been shooting fireballs previously. With its arms combined, it created a larger gun that would shoot out massive fireballs, ones that Roni wouldn't be able to dodge.

"Roni! Get out of there!" Balto shouted.

"No! I just have one more bomb to go!"

Red lights began to light up in a circle pattern around the newly formed gun, indicating that it was getting ready to shoot.

"Dammit!" Amos cursed and began making a run for it, his entire body changing over to steel as he ran. It wouldn't matter if Roni got out of there now. Even if she managed to dodge the fireball, it would still hit the other robots that had the bombs on them, causing them all to explode and Roni wouldn't be able to run far enough to escape the explosion.

Roni continued making her way to the sixth robot until she heard something charging up to her left. She hadn't even noticed the huge gun until that moment. She turned to look at it, her eyes growing wide in fear when she saw it. She knew that whatever was going to come out of that gun, she wouldn't have enough time to dodge it or run from it. She looked back at the robots that she had managed to connect the bombs to.

'Well, at least I was able to take this many out for them,' she thought as she saw the inside of the gun begin to light up, 'But I was supposed to have so many more adventures than this!'

The gun shot off, a huge fireball being shot out of it. Roni curled down and covered her head even though she knew doing that wouldn't really help her in any way. She waited for the fire to hit her, to surge across her body and for the burning to take over her. But it didn't come. She did feel a wave of heat whoosh across her, but any actual burning sensation didn't reach her. At first she thought that maybe she had burned so fast that she was already dead. But when she finally opened her eyes and looked up, she saw silver gleaming in the firelight and molten blue eyes starting down at her.

"Are you okay?"

She instantly recognized the voice as Amos's and she moved in an attempt to hug him tightly.

"Don't!" he said, quickly stopping her, "My body is too hot for you to touch after taking the hit."

It was then that Roni remembered the giant fireball and her eyes went wide when she realized that Amos had covered her and allowed the fire attack to hit his back. She saw that most of his shirt had been burnt off and a large, black burn mark was now on his back, tarnishing the usual shining silver that coated it.

"Amos…I-"

"You have something to finish, right?" he asked, quickly cutting her off. He didn't want to hear her apology or whatever she had planned to say. This was what he had chosen to do and she still had a bomb to finish setting up.

Roni looked down at the last bomb in her hands and nodded.

"Then hurry up and place it on the last damned robot."

"Right," she nodded at him and quickly stuck it on the sixth robot, "Three!" she announced, now looking back up at Amos with a smile, "I've got things from here, so you should move away from this area."

Amos simply nodded back at her in reply as he pulled off what was left of his shirt. He rolled his shoulders once before turning around and charging off towards the robot that had shot off the fireball with a shout.

Roni took that moment to slip back behind the circle of robots and made a grab for her backpack. She quickly yanked out the detonator and ran back towards Balto and Adam. Though, she didn't stop where they stood. Instead, she flew right past them while shouting, "You better start running!"

Balto and Adam stared after her in confusion before noticing the detonator in her hand and the fact that all six bombs were in place. Balto quickly pulled Mara back in towards him and the two men scrambled after Roni.

Roni was already behind the very first robot she had used as cover when the two men jumped behind it to join her. She looked across the way to make sure that Amos was far enough away from the bombs. She saw him some good amount of distance from it, the steel man taking out any robot that came near him with single punches that she knew had to be his Steel Slammer attack.

"Shehehehehehehehe!" she laughed as she held out the detonator, "The papers better get it right when they talk about me! From here on out, everyone better know me as Cherry Bomb Roni!" she shouted before pushing the button.

Instantly, the six robots exploded, bursts of fire and metal spraying everywhere. Balto had to yank Roni down below their robot just has a burning hunk of metal whizzed over them. A few of the other robots that were still standing had been taken out by more flying metal and the group currently ducking down was sure they heard more pieces clanking off of Amos's skin, considering he kept cursing after every loud clank. Heat continued traveling outwards from the explosion and smoke was billowing high up into the air, but eventually the metal stopped flying over them.

The trio soon lifted their heads to peek over the fallen robot to see a burning crater where the six robots had been. They saw all of their pieces spread throughout the area and even through some of the other robots. And they could see Richard off in the background staring at the explosion site with wide, shocked eyes.

"And that's how it's done!" Roni cheered, high-fiving Balto in the process.

Adam smiled with them, but he kept his eyes out on the battlefield since Amos was still fighting. He could hear Richard shouting at the robots, ordering them to come after him, but he was ready this time. Everyone was doing their part to take out the robots and Amos had continued fighting even through the explosion. So it wasn't hard for him to summon up more confidence and courage to jump out from behind the fallen robot to fight more of them.

That was until he saw a mop of blue hair come bounding out of the woods.

"Bethany…" Adam breathed out, his body instantly freezing upon seeing the little girl on the battlefield.

Bethany hadn't seen Adam yet since her back was to him, but she did see her father. She tried to shout over the chaos to get him to stop, to order the robots to stop shooting, but all her shouting was unheard and her father was lost in his anger, the man not even noticing his own daughter when she appeared. She tried to run towards him, but she was quickly stopped when a military unit stepped in front of her. She jumped back in fear, cowering at the sight of the machine and not knowing what to do against it. It lifted up its hand towards her, shifting into a gun and causing her to shriek out in fright at the sight of it. She couldn't run. Her body felt heavy and frozen. All she had wanted to do was stop the fighting, but now she realized that a tiny girl like herself didn't have a chance at stopping anything. All she had wanted to do was save her best friend, but now she was going to die too.

"Adam!" she shouted, hoping that he could somehow hear her, "I'm sorry!"

Her words rushed straight towards Adam, feeling like a punch right to the gut when they reached him. His eyes flew open even wider and he felt his body grow hot. It grew hotter and hotter until the metal within his body began to change shape. He shouted, but he wasn't sure if it was from pain or anger. Whatever the feeling was, he let it consume him. He felt more heat surge through his body and more metal move and grow.

He thought nothing would end the heat and pain and anger, that nothing would be able to break through it all, until he heard her scream and he snapped.

"Bethany!" Adam roared.

Her scream, the gunshot and Adam's shout all echoed out across the battlefield as one, bringing everything to an instant halt.

* * *

 **A/N:** And yep! That's where we're ending it today! I hope you all enjoyed it.

I had lots of fun with this chapter! From all the fighting, to some of those feels that managed to sneak in there, to all the bickering that was going on, it was great! So I really hope you all enjoyed it too!

This author's note is gonna be short and sweet since I don't really have too much else to say other than thanking you guys for continuing to read and review! I really do appreciate it! :3

Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	12. A Change in the Air

**A/N:** YAS! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 12: A Change in the Air**

 **April 22** **nd** **\- Night**

Blood splattered across the ground where Bethany had fallen. Silence filled the area for a short moment as everyone's attention was turned towards the small girl. For the first time since the fight had started, Richard Arkwright appeared to be back in control of himself as he stared with wide eyes at his daughter.

The silence that had fallen across the area was quickly broken by Bethany's cries. Tears streamed down her face as she held tightly onto her arm. Blood trickled through her fingers from the bullet that had hit her.

"Adam!" Bethany said, her tears more for her friend than herself.

Adam was standing in front of her, holding back the machine that had shot at her. On the left side of his stomach was a hole that the bullet had passed through, electricity popping and buzzing in the hole. But it was because he had stepped in front of the bullet that Bethany had been saved, having forced the bullet off of its original path.

Though, the hole in him seemed tiny to his now monstrous size. He had taken on a form much like the military robots around them. The metal that created his body, though, was a dark blue. His body was much broader and thicker, creating a force to be reckoned with. He stood taller than all the other machines and his eyes glowed red as he glared down at the robot in front of him.

"Adam! Your stomach!"

Adam moved his head slightly to look back at her in order to tell her he was okay, but the sight of the blood splattered across the ground and dripping down her arm caused a new wave of anger to wash over him. He let out another loud shout as he turned back to the robot in front of him, bringing forward a large fist with him. He slammed his fist straight into the robot's face, successfully crunching it to pieces. It also caused the machine to go soaring backwards and landing hard on its back.

The robot moved to try and stand back up, but heavy thumping was approaching it quickly. Adam was running straight for the robot, aiming to pull out the control box within its chest. While the robot couldn't see due to Adam's punch, it still had control of the rest of its body. It released the missiles from its shoulders, thinking it could bombard Adam with them, but the missiles didn't seem to affect him. Adam continued running, not even bothering to dodge the explosives. A number of them hit him, creating a cloud of smoke. But it didn't take Adam long to burst out from the smoke, letting out a shout as he dove straight on top of the robot. His body had been scuffed up and a few pieces of metal had been chipped off, but he didn't let this stop him. He slammed down on top of the robot, punching his right hand straight through its chest. The control box was ripped out with the action, shattering to pieces in the process.

"Adam!" Bethany shouted, worried and afraid for him.

Her sight of her best friend was suddenly blocked by messy red hair and green eyes, "Remember me?"

"Yes," Bethany answered, trying to peer around the body now in front of her, "You're Roni. You came with Mr. Balto to meet Adam."

"Right! Now I think you should could with me. It isn't safe for you here out in the open."

"But Adam…"

"He'll be okay," she said, glancing back at the transformed Adam, "He's bigger than Amos now," she added with a chuckle, "But I think he'll only get more upset if you stay out here."

Bethany looked back at Adam, clearly not wanting to leave him behind, but also knowing the woman in front of her was right. She finally nodded and let Roni help her to her feet.

"Get your filthy hands off of my daughter."

Roni froze when she heard Richard's voice and the barrel of a gun pressed up against the back of her head.

"Daddy! What are you doing?!"

"You are supposed to be home, Bethany."

"But you're doing bad things, daddy! You're hurting my friends! You're hurting Adam!"

"He is only a robot. He is replaceable. You will eventually understand."

"I won't! I won't replace him! I won't forgive you for hurting him!"

Richard flinched upon hearing those words come from his daughter, which caused him to miss the figure coming up on him.

A white blade came crashing down between Roni and Richard, successfully knocking the gun out of his hand. The broad side of the blade was thrust forward into Richard's chest, knocking the man back several yards.

A chill ran up Roni's spine when the sword was swung down passed her back, causing her to whip around on Balto, "Are you trying to cut me?!"

"It worked, didn't it?" he asked with a shrug and a smirk.

Roni eyed him for a moment longer before she moved to grab onto one of Bethany's hands, "Let's get you out of here."

Just as she said those words, a military unit appeared before the trio with its weapons at the ready. Bethany and Roni both screamed at the surprise right before Roni scooped up the small girl with one arm and took off running. She soon felt her speed pick up when she was scooped up herself by Balto.

"These things just don't end, do they?" he asked with a grin spreading across his face.

"You shouldn't look so happy about it!" Roni shouted.

"I haven't had this much excitement in a long while! And I thought you liked excitement?!"

"It's different when I only have like three cherry bombs left in my bag!"

"All the more entertaining when the odds are against you!"

"Weirdo!" Roni said as she scanned the area in front of them, seeing the docks not too far ahead of them, "Throw us towards the docks!"

"You were upset about my sword swinging, but now you want thrown across the area? Who's the real weirdo here?"

"Just do it! As first mate, I'm second in command and you have to listen to me! So throw me!"

"Ahaha! Yes ma'am!"

Balto didn't hesitate with launching the pair as far as he could towards the docks, watching as Roni took the brunt of the landing before jumping back to her feet and dragging Bethany along behind her to keep her safe.

"And now I can play," he said as he turned on his heel and plunged his blade through the chest of the robot that had been chasing them. He then quickly pulled the cloth attached to the trigger, destroying the control box. Once the robot was down, he moved forward to start doing the same to any robot his eyes landed on.

Adam continued on with his rampage, taking out any and all robots that were near him. Scattered pieces of metal created a path behind him while his body continued to take on more and more wounds as he moved forward. Nothing mattered to him in that moment other than taking out what had harmed what was precious to him. He wouldn't stop until every last one of the robots were cut down no matter if they were robots like himself. He didn't even feel like a robot any longer. So much pain and anger filled his heart that moment that he couldn't consider himself anything other than human.

Amos had begun moving again as well, punching through every robot that stood in front of him while also keeping an eye on Adam. It seemed that a fire had been lit under him, and even though it was because Bethany had gotten hurt, he was happy to see Adam finally giving the fight his all. It meant that he really did want to be a man with freedom to fight for.

But as he continued fighting himself, Amos had to wonder what it meant for him. He felt a change in the air. Something had been started on Cato that he wasn't sure he could stop. He could admit to himself that he didn't want it to happen or to be a part of it, but he could still feel when there was shift in the world. It was one of the many skills Rhode Kingsley had ingrained into him when he was a kid. And as much as he didn't want to be a part of the change that was happening, he knew the change was because of him. Both the marines and the Arkwright company now knew of his existence. His ten years of death had come to an end. But did the world really expect him to gather up a new crew and start over?

He looked between Balto and Roni, almost wanting to laugh at how the world had practically dumped both at his feet as if telling him it was that simple. That the world would give him the people he needed so long as he kept changing said world.

"How annoying," he said right before punching through another robot, "It's never that easy. And I can no longer be a captain," he said, watching the robot fall at his feet. When his path of vision was cleared, he could see Balto grinning over at him and he could hear Roni cheering his name. It all felt so familiar that it was almost heartbreaking for him, "Tch, stop trying to prove me wrong," he mumbled to the world that was doing all it could to push him forward, to get him to take that first step on his own.

He pushed aside his internal argument when he saw that they only had robot left to take down. He saw that Adam, Balto and himself each surrounded the robot, each ready to make the final blow on it. They all seemed to exchange glances, telling each other that they would all attack at the same time. With a final nod, they all ran towards the robot.

Balto plunged his blade deep into its chest, the power behind his final blow coming from the adventure that was about to begin.

Amos punched his right arm into its chest, the power behind his final blow coming from the change in the air he was fighting against.

And Adam punched his right arm into its chest opposite of Amos, the power behind his final blow coming from the want to protect what was precious to him and fighting for the freedom that had been given to him.

They each pulled at the core of the robot, completely ripping it apart and destroying the machine in the blink of an eye. They all stood in silence for a long moment, staring down at the broken robot until a gunshot went off.

The bullet hit Adam's back, but he was still refusing to feel all the pain he had accumulated over the fight. He turned burning red eyes on the person who had shot him, seeing Richard Arkwright holding the gun up in a trembling hand. He began taking heavy and steady steps towards the man, watching as more and more fear overcame him.

He soon stood before Richard, easily yanking the gun out of the man's hand and crushing it to pieces in his own, "I am a free man now," was all he said before turning and walking away from him. Richard fell back on his butt, not being able to keep himself standing after being confronted by Adam.

Adam walked back towards Amos and Balto, only being able to hold onto his new form for a moment longer before he reverted back to his original form. His tank top had been torn to pieces, leaving him in only his black shorts. The hole on the left side of his stomach was still there along with all the other wounds and scratches that he had obtained during the fight. Amos and Balto could already see his body begin to repair itself, but it would take time for him to be fully healed.

He stumbled forward out of exhaustion, Amos and Balto both catching him when he approached them. And while it was clear he was in pain, he still smiled up at them, "Was I a steel man, Mr. Amos?"

A small smile appeared on Amos's lips, "Yeah, you were."

Adam's smile only widened in response as the other two men helped him walk down towards the docks.

"Adam!" Bethany shouted when she saw the men walking towards them, "Adam! Are you okay?"

Amos and Balto released him so he could drop down to his knees to be at Bethany's level, "I should be asking you that, Miss Bethany," he said, pointing to her arm.

"I'll be okay. You saved me, so I'll be okay," she said as she finally moved in to hug him, "I was really scared that I wouldn't get to see you again. I saw daddy and all those big robots leaving home."

"I guess I'm tougher than I look," he said with a smile.

"Can we go home now? I'll make sure daddy never touches you again."

Adam was silent for a moment, looking up to the others around them. They would have to leave now if they wanted to get off the island. That left him with very little time to tell Bethany goodbye.

"Miss Bethany," Adam started, pulling her away from him so he could look her in the eye, "I must tell you…well, it is just that…it is hard to explain, but…" he started, trying again and again to get the words out.

Bethany saw the sadness in his eyes and how he hadn't agreed that it was time to go home like he normally would. There was a difference in Adam. It wasn't hard to tell, "You aren't coming home with me, are you?"

There was a look of surprise in his eyes that she had figured it out, "No, I'm not."

"Are you going with Mr. Balto?"

"For now, yes," he said, "The fruit that was implemented in me gave me free will. It gave me the ability to choose and make decisions for myself. I want to experience what that means and to become the man I have been given the chance of being. Do you understand, Miss Bethany?"

"Yes, but…" she said, fresh tears beginning to spill over, "But will you…are you going to forget about me?! You're my best friend, Adam! I won't ever forget about you! But we won't see each other anymore! And you're going to be doing all sorts of new things and meeting new people! How will you remember me?!"

Adam smiled widely as he laid a hand on top of her head, "I will always remember you, Miss Bethany. You gave me my name. You taught me all I know. You were the first to make me smile. How can I forget such important things?"

Bethany let out a sob as she hugged him tightly again, "I will always, always remember you, Adam! I will miss you everyday! And when I'm old enough, I'll take the company from daddy so nothing like this ever happens again! I promise!"

"I will always, always remember you too, Miss Bethany," Adam said as he hugged her in return and tears began falling down his own face, "And I will miss you everyday. And I will have lots of adventures and come back and tell you about them one day. I promise."

"I'll wait here on Cato for you then," she said as she snuggled into him closer for another long moment. When she pulled back, she wiped the back of her hand across her face, "Now, you be good for all these people. And be nice and polite to new people you meet if you want to make friends."

"Of course, Miss Bethany," he said as he wiped the rest of her tears away, "I'll bring all my new friends back with me to meet you."

She smiled in reply, choosing not to say goodbye. Saying goodbye felt too final, as if he would never return, "I look forward to hearing all your stories!"

Adam returned her smile as he stood up, "And I look forward to seeing what you do with the Arkwright company."

Bethany continued smiling, new tears appearing when Adam stepped onto the deck of Balto's boat. But she continued smiling and waving to them even after they set sail and she could no longer see them in the dark of the night.

 **. : + : .**

 **April 23** **rd** **\- Dawn**

An overly tall and bulking man walked out into the early morning air, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. He smiled widely at the new day before him. An order had just come in the night before and he was eager to get to work. He stretched his muscled body and shook his long dreadlocks out, pushing them back over his shoulders when he was finished. He moved to walk down to the workstation, but he soon came to a stop, an odd feeling in the air catching his attention.

"Tee-Nichy," an old man, his grandfather, called out to him. The old man appeared in the tall doorway to their home, "Why did you stop?"

"There's a…change in the air," he said quietly before a confused look appeared on his face and he turned back to his grandfather, "That doesn't sound crazy, does it?"

"Mmm, no," the old man answered as he lit up a pipe, "Your mother said the same thing before your father came to our island. Something is headed our way."

"Is it something good or bad?" he asked, having learned that his grandfather was usually right about these things over the years.

The old man sucked in the tobacco before letting out a long stream of smoke, "Both. You can never have one without the other, Tee-Nichy. But it's up to you to decide what is good and what is bad."

"What if I make the wrong decision?"

"Then you'll be an idiot of the rest of your life," the old man said, chuckling as he made his way down to the workstation.

"OI! Old man! What kind of quip was that?! Are you calling me stupid?!" he shouted, moving to follow his grandfather. Though, he stopped to look out at the ocean one last time, "Even if the old man says both, I can only sense good on the way. I choose to believe that even if it makes me an idiot."

"You talking to the wind again, Tee-Nichy? You'll definitely be marked as an idiot."

"You're really asking for it this morning, old man!"

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!

This was a pretty fun chapter for me, although I was really sad that I had to separate Adam and Bethany. But it had to be done! But I was honestly really excited about that last scene! I've been dying to get to it, even if it was just a small scene.

So with this chapter ends the current arc! The next chapter will start up the next little arc! I'm so excited for you all to see what I have planned! CHA!

Also as a note, if you all check out my profile, I have made a schedule for myself on how my stories will be updated. Dawn of an Old Age will be updated every other Sunday. If you follow my other stories, you can go onto my profile page to see when they will be updated.

As always, I loved all your reviews! So thank you for sending them in and reading the story! :3

That should be it for this time around!

See you all again soon!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	13. The Monster Shipwright

**A/N:** CHA! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Monster Shipwright**

 **April 30** **th** **\- Noon**

"This really is amazing!" Adam said, the robot still taken aback by the sight of the open ocean.

The past week had allowed for the group to heal and relax a bit. They didn't have any further troubles after leaving Cato, which surprised both Amos and Balto, considering Commander Foley's aggressive attitude and Richard Arkwright's most prized robot leaving the island. But they both decided to not question their moment of peace, especially since Amos had already made several cracks and holes in the ship by simply walking around. Luckily he hadn't made any critical damage, but it had been enough for Roni to confine him to a small space on the ship to ensure they wouldn't drown out in the middle of the ocean.

"The open ocean is nice, isn't it?" Roni said, smiling up at Adam, both of them standing at the front of the ship, "It's one of my favorite sights."

"I can see why," Adam said, returning her smile, "I'm glad I came with you all."

"I'm glad too!"

While the two continued talking and enjoying the view, Balto moved to sit near Amos after making sure they were on track to the next island.

"Where are we headed again?"

"Tohora Island," Balto answered, smiling when a spark of realization ignited in Amos's eyes, "Glad to see you remember it."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I'm not starting a new crew," Amos said, narrowing his eyes at Balto.

"I think it's too late for that. And I think you know that too."

"I didn't ask for this. I minded my own damn business for ten years. I have no reason to be getting mixed up in things."

Balto watched the man before him for a long moment while Amos stared out over the ocean, "Ya know," he finally began after picking up the way Amos watched the rolling waves around them, "I have never seen another man in my lifetime that stares at the ocean the way you do."

"So I like to stare at the ocean. What does that have to do with anything?" Amos asked without looking back at Balto.

"You've missed it."

Amos finally looked back at the ex-marine with guarded eyes, "Missed what?"

"Everything. Being a pirate and a captain. Fighting off marines. Being part of a crew. Sailing the seas. The ocean," Balto said, not missing how tense Amos was becoming, "Your freedom."

"Tch, what would a marine know about freedom?"

"We're not that different, Amos Valdovas," Balto said, his tone becoming low and serious, "And you'd never make such cheap shot remarks either. You and I had respect between each other once. Has that all suddenly disappeared because you don't know how to face the world anymore?"

"I'm not the same Amos anymore! I don't know how many damn times I have to tell you that!"

Silence covered the ship, Roni and Adam glancing back towards the arguing pair. Amos kept his eyes on Balto while the ex-marine glanced over towards Roni and Adam, silently telling them to mind their own business for the moment. They looked back out over the ocean, though Roni had stared at Amos for a moment longer before turning around.

"What happened to you ten years ago?"

Amos found that he didn't know how to answer the question. He remembered what had happened as clear as day. He could still see that woman's face smirking in arrogance and victory. He could still feel his hate for her like it was fresh and new. But he couldn't find the words to tell any of this to Balto. He didn't want to voice it. He didn't want the man before him to know that he was actually scared of creating a new crew. Balto still remembered the fearless Amos from ten years ago. How could he show him how much of a coward he had become?

"My heart died," he finally said, trying his best to keep his voice from wavering.

"Is that so?" Balto said, his eyes carefully watching Amos, "I find it strange," he said, grabbing hold of Amos's full attention, "That a man without a heart would allow his hands to tremble so much or that he would look so close to crying."

Balto let his words sink into Amos for a moment. He had already decided to follow Amos and he wasn't about to back out of that decision now, but he also knew that they couldn't follow Amos with the way he was now. An uncertain captain would lead them into certain death. And that was why he had chosen to head towards Tohora without telling Amos. If the steel man had known about their destination from the start, he would have forced them to head elsewhere. It was too late now to navigate to a different island since they would need to stock up on supplies soon. But Balto was sure that Tohora Island would be what Amos needed to kick himself back into gear. He knew it wouldn't fix all of Amos's problems, but it was be the starting point they all needed.

"Also," Balto began once he felt like his words had finally sunk into Amos, "You might want to keep any eye on Roni."

Amos cleared his throat, finding he needed another moment between subject changes, "Why is that? Is she suddenly threatening towards you?"

"Good to see your sarcasm is still intact," Balto said, "But no. Not towards me anyways. It's just that, when we were fighting those big robots, she knew the names of your moves."

"And that's a crime?"

"Normally, no," Balto said, a worried look on his face, "But where did this girl come from? I know she's not part of the marines. And she's always giving out different names. Don't you find it just the least bit strange that she was looking for you specifically and also knows so much about you? I get the feeling that she knows stuff about me too. Kinda weirds me out a bit."

"You? Being weirded out?" Amos said, a small smile appearing on his lips, "That's rare. Usually you're the one being weird."

"That's why I find it really strange! Would you just trust me on this one?"

"So what? You want her out of the group?" Amos asked, Balto not missing the fact that he was still refusing to use the word 'crew', "You're the one that declared her the first mate."

"No, no. There's no need to go kicking her out of the crew. Without her, we wouldn't even have one," he said, earning a flat stare from Amos, "I'm just saying to keep an eye on her is all. It's not that I get a bad feeling from her. I just feel like she knows a lot more about things than she lets on."

Amos looked from Balto over to Roni, who was still smiling and laughing with Adam. She glanced over at him, quickly smiling and waving. Amos let another small smile appear on his face at her reaction before turning back towards Balto, "All right. I'll trust you on this one. We'll keep an eye on her."

"Good to hear," he said, slapping a hand to the steel man's knee. This only caused his foot to crash through the floorboards to create another hole.

"What did you do?!" Roni shouted.

Balto and Amos exchanged looks before a wide smile spread across Balto's face.

"Good thing we're heading towards Tohora Island, yeah? Best place to get a new ship throughout all the Blues!"

 **. : + : .**

 **May 2** **nd** **\- Morning**

"Oh wow! Look how big the island is!" Roni exclaimed.

Tohora Island was quite a large island as it was one of the largest in the East Blue. It was covered in numerous types of trees due to the ship building work that was done on the island. The port was already bustling in the early morning, ships constantly moving in and out and people shouting all along the docks. Beasts of men and women filled the port, all of them part of the work that went into making ships.

The port town of Tohora was named Tauranga and was one of the three large towns on the island. Tauranga was where all the supplies were sold for the shipwrights of the island. And it was were tourists or customers usually stayed as it had several large inns and the town was filled with all sorts of restaurants and shops.

From what Balto and Amos could remember, the other two main towns were named Tuturu and Rupahu, each town holding prominent shipwright families - the Luta and Mobile families. They both held high reputations in the ship building world and Balto was determined to have one of these families build them a brand new ship.

Seeing a ship built just for them would hopefully get Amos to open up to the idea of leading a new crew. Balto didn't know what their goal would be, but he felt this need to push Amos forward. There had to be a reason they had met again and he wasn't about to let this chance slip through his fingers.

Roni and Adam looked around the port with stars in their eyes, flitting around the dock they had pulled into until Amos laid a heavy hand onto each of their heads to keep them in place.

"You two are to stay with us," he said, "I don't need you starting any trouble, got that?"

Balto chuckled as he walked up to the group after having paid the fee to keep his ship docked, "You shouldn't worry so much," he said, smacking a hand on his back as he continued past the group, "This town is pretty chaotic already. Not much they can really do to get in trouble."

"See?! We'll be fine!" Roni said, "Besides, I need to take in all the details for my book!"

"Whatever," Amos grunted, "Just don't do anything stupid."

With that, Amos released the two and they flew off ahead of Balto.

"That used to be you, ya know," Balto said once Amos was walking next to him.

"Yeah, and that's why I know they'll do something stupid," he said with a sigh, "So…you really planning on getting a ship built here?"

"Of course," Balto smiled, "Can't have a crew with a proper ship and we can't use my boat much longer. It's a bit small for a growing crew and it can't handle you moving all around that much. We need something much sturdier."

"And how do you expect to pay for one? They're not cheap."

"I've got some money saved."

"You're just wasting it. This isn't going to work out like you're hoping."

"Won't it?" Balto said, smirking over at the steel man, "I think we've been making some pretty good progress so far. I got you onto the island, didn't I? And I'm sure you're excited to have a new ship and all. You know these families are some of the best shipwrights, right?" he asked, but he never received an answer, "Amos?" he said, looking over to where the steel man should have been standing, "Oi! Where'd you go?!" he shouted, twisting around to look for the man. He eventually spotted him a few stands back, Amos staring at the food in the stall like a child. Balto only chuckled to himself, the ex-marine interested in seeing a part of the old Amos about to come out.

Amos couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen the fruit before him in years - kiwiberries. It had been his favorite to the point where would stock up on crates of it, even if some of those crates might have been stolen.

He picked up the small, red-orange oval-shaped fruit, smiling as memories flooded his mind, memories even from when he was a small child.

" _You gotta eat them in two bites, Amos. That way you can see the bright green meat of the fruit inside. It's like a rainbow in your hand!"_

His smile became much warmer upon hearing the words of his father. And he didn't hesitate any longer with moving in to take a bite out of it. Just as his father's voice had said, bright green fruit appeared in his hand, small black seeds scattered through it. The tart sweetness of the fruit was just as good as he remembered, maybe even better since he hadn't eaten it in years.

Amos quickly popped the second half of the berry into his mouth before moving in to eat another one. Just as his hand touched the fruit, another, larger hand grabbed for the same fruit. Amos looked beside him to see a man he actually had to look up at.

The man was huge, reaching to at least 6'7" in height. And he had to weigh in at around 300 pounds, considering the broad and thick muscled frame he had. His warm brown skin appeared to shine in the sun, making it almost look smooth and slick, but the hand against Amos's was clearly worn and rough. Long and dark dreadlocks hung over his shoulders and back while his hazel eyes stayed glued to Amos. He wore a simple outfit of cargo shorts and an open, blue vest, the man currently walking around barefooted. Though, the man oddly had a white patch covering his stomach that was surrounded by a circle of black before fading into the brown color of his skin.

Amos gawked at the man a moment longer before he remembered the new situation at hand, "Oi, that's my fruit."

"I was eyeing this one while you were being all starry-eyed with the one you just ate," the man said, his voice coming out just as deep as Amos had expected it to.

"I don't care. I grabbed for it first."

"Did you even pay for the first one you ate yet?"

"I didn't think I'd have to pay for them one at a time."

"Look, I've already had a long morning. That fruit is mine."

"And I've been having a shitty couple of weeks. These are my favorite fruits that I haven't had in years. Leave me in peace to eat them."

"I like them way more than you!"

"No one likes them more than I do!"

"I'll fight you for it! That's how much I like them!"

"And I'll beat you for it! That's how much I like them! Now back off before you regret something!"

Roni and Adam walked up beside Balto when they heard the shouting going on.

"What is he doing?" Roni asked.

"Fight over a kiwiberry," Balto said, chuckling at the sight before him.

"But Mr. Balto, that man is huge!" Adam said.

"We took out military robots. I think our captain can handle himself against a half-Fishman," Balto said, laughing harder when both Roni and Adam gasped in excitement.

"He's a Fishman?!" Roni shouted, "First meeting Amos and then robots and now a Fishman!"

Adam cocked his head to the side, "How can you tell?"

"When you've sailed around the Grand Line as much as I have, you tend to pick up on these things," Balto said, "Although, it's odd to see one all the way out here in the East Blue, but it's not unheard of. What I find even odder is the type of Fishman he is."

"What kind is he?!" Roni and Adam asked, their eyes shining in excitement.

"I can't give away everything, now can I?"

"Awww…" the pair replied with as they slid to the ground in disappointment.

"Fine! If you want it so bad, I'll fight you for it right now!" the large man said.

"Tch, just pick another one and leave me alone!"

"Hell no! It's the principal of the thing now!"

"How annoying," Amos said before turning sharply and slamming a fist into the man's gut. The man was moved several yards away from him, but he stayed standing while appearing unfazed by the hit. Though, the people in the area still buzzed about how someone had hit the man hard enough to move him. Apparently it wasn't a usual thing to happen, "Impressive," Amos said with a smirk, moving into a fighting position with his fists up in front of him, "But I'm still not letting you have the fruit."

"We'll see about that!" the man answered before he began charging towards Amos. He brought down a fist towards him with a shout, Amos not hesitating to meet that fist with his own. The two fists collided with a heavy thump, causing a wave of power to surge out around them. The two stood that way for a long moment as they stared down each other.

Eventually, Amos pulled his fist away and shook it, "Damn, that was good."

"Of course it was! Yours wasn't too bad either."

"Yeah? Then how about this?!" Amos said as moved to throw another punch at the man. The man easily blocked it and attempted his own punch, which Amos then blocked. The two exchanged glances and smiles before jumping into a full fledged fight.

"Ahahaha! This is great!" Balto said, "And over a kiwiberry!"

"It's not fair!" Roni said, "He told me not to do anything stupid, but he gets to do whatever he wants!"

"You better get used to that now, missy," Balto said, "That's gonna happen more often than not."

Amos slammed both fists into the man's chest, moving him away from the fruit stand. He took that moment to turn and grab the fruit that had started the fight. Just as he was about to take a bite out of it, the fruit was kicked out of his hand. The man then slid down and spun out a leg to trip Amos. Once Amos was falling, the man moved to hold himself up on his hands before slamming both feet forward into Amos's stomach. He then pushed himself off the ground to flip back onto his feet and catch the falling fruit.

Amos laid on the ground in surprise for a moment, not having expected the man to be able to fight like that. After a moment, Amos finally jumped back to his feet and ran towards the man. Right when the man thought Amos would punch him again, the steel man dropped to his knees and slid passed the side of the man. He quickly grabbed one of the man's legs, tripping him in the process. Amos then continued with his momentum, moving back to his feet and flipping backwards to land on top of the man. The man let out a painful huff while Amos caught the fruit, which the man had let go of when he was tripped unexpectedly.

The man didn't stay down for long as he popped up onto his hands and spun his body around on them. It was a very fluid and graceful motion as he moved to spin on one hand and kick the fruit out of Amos's hand again. He then pushed himself up to land on his feet again, both him and Amos now watching the falling fruit. They moved to punch each other again in hopes of knocking out the other for the fruit. Though, they were both instantly stopped when a hand jabbed into their forearms, stopping their punching motions and sending a jolt of pain up through them. The fruit was then caught by an old man carrying a lit pipe, his brown skin tone and hazel eyes matching the large man's.

The old man finally let out a stream of smoke as he stared at the fruit before finally eating it in one bite, "There now," he said, "There is nothing left to fight about."

"Gramps! What the hell?!" the large man said.

"You were late coming back, Tee-Nichy," the old man said, "So I came to see what was keeping you. We have an order to finish, remember?"

"But he was picking a fight!" he shouted, pointing at Amos, "My honor couldn't simply let him get away with it!"

"I think you were enjoying the fight more than the reason you were fighting in the first place," the old man said, successfully silencing the large man. He then turned to face Amos, "Please forgive my grandson. He gets a bit excited at times."

Before Amos could answer him, Balto came up to wrap an arm around the steel man's shoulders, "Well, it's not like Amos here did anything to stop the fight!" he said with a smile, "So sorry for making your grandson late for work."

"Amos," the old man repeated as if he knew that name. He let a brief smile appear, knowing that the change in the air that his grandson had felt a week before had finally come to their island, "You're not from the island," he stated, having already known they weren't native to Tohora, "Are you here for business or pleasure?"

"Business," Balto answered, "We need a ship built."

"Well, it seems you've picked a fight with the right man then," the old man said, looking to Amos now, "My name is Luta London and that is my grandson, Luta Tee-Nichy. We run the Luta Company, which happens to build ships. Why don't you follow us back to Tuturu and we can talk more about the kind of ship you're wanting."

"That sounds perfect! Maybe you should get in fights more often, Amos!" Balto said with a wide smile, quickly falling into step with London while Roni and Balto followed behind them.

Amos and Tee-Nichy stood back at the stall, still staring each other down. Though, they each now wore a smile, finding the other much more interesting after fighting. Amos broke away first, grabbing an overflowing handful of the kiwiberries before quickly dashing away. Tee-Nichy stood there for a moment longer, trying to figure out what had just happened. It wasn't until he heard the stall owner clear their throat at him that he realized what Amos had just done.

"Those kiwiberries are mine if you're leaving me to pay for them! Dammit!" Tee-Nichy shouted as he slammed down bills on the stand before grabbing a few more fruits for himself. His eye only twitched in irritation when he heard Amos laughing loudly off in the distance.

 **. : + : .**

"Are you really trying to tell us, Commander Foley, that Blue Steel Amos is still alive?"

Moira Foley stood in her office on the marine ship she ran, standing before three large television screens. Each screen held the a face of an Admiral. They had called a meeting when Commander Foley had sent in a request to reinstate Amos Valdovas's bounty. It was unbelievable that she had made the request and opted for a meeting with the Commander before sending out such a bounty again.

"I am, Admiral Dirk Van Der Zee," she said in a steady tone, her hands clasped behind her back, "I saw him with my own eyes."

"I find it hard to believe an incompetent woman that would let her men die and let Arkwright property be stolen," the admiral stated, causing Moira to tighten her hands behind her back.

"Now, now," a woman said from the far left screen, "I can recall quite a few times men died under your watch, Dirk."

"This meeting isn't about me!"

"He is correct, Admiral Gunnar Angstrom," Moira said to the woman, "This meeting is about me. And I did lose men on my watch."

"I am happy to see you are taking responsibility for what happened on Cato," the third Admiral said from the middle screen.

"I was the one in charge, Admiral Donovan Foley," she said, "It is my duty to take responsibility."

Donovan smiled at her, "Even with the deaths that happened on Cato, we still view you as a competent commander."

"Speak for yourself," Dirk said lowly.

Donovan quickly snuffed out any further comments the man might make, "But it is hard to believe that a man that has been dead for ten years is suddenly alive. You can see why we are having problems believing you."

"I understand, but I am telling you the truth. Amos Valdovas, Blue Steel Amos, is alive and well. And he has ex-Captain Balto Yeager with him."

"That good for nothing captain," Dirk huffed.

"Now that I can see," Gunnar laughed.

"As much as I want to believe you," Donovan said, bringing control over the other two admirals, "I cannot approve the request to reinstate Blue Steel Amos's bounty."

"I understand," Moira said, staring down at the floor.

"But," Donovan said, causing Moira's head to snap back up, "If more alerts come in about Blue Steel Amos, we may reconsider. If you truly believe this is Amos, then bring in evidence for us to see. So for now, this issue will remain open until we have solid evidence if this is the real Blue Steel Amos or not."

"Thank you, Admiral Donovan Foley," she said, bowing to him.

"You are quite welcome," he said, already knowing that Gunnar was smiling while Dirk would be wearing a deep frown, "You are dismissed."

With that, all three screens blacked out, leaving Moira with her own thoughts.

"I will need to thank father for his kind words. He saved me from Dirk's scorn today," she said, still staring up at the middle screen, "But for now, I must find Amos and his crew. I will not be left humiliated or made out to be some kind of crazy storyteller."

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

 **Credits**

 **Luta Tee-Nichy - TPACK245**

 **Luta London - TPACK245**

That was a lot of fun to write! Lots of emotions and everything! And I finally got to fully introduce Tee-Nichy! He's gonna be so much fun! So I really hope you liked him and the chapter!

Thank you all for your reviews! They were wonderful as always! :3

Not much else to say this time around.

So see you all in the next update!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	14. I Will Make You a Ship!

**A/N:** I'm back! CHA! More notes at the bottom!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 14: I Will Make You a Ship!**

 **May 2** **nd** **– Morning**

Neon yellow eyes glowed in the darkness of a simple house, the lights having been shattered and the windows shut with thick curtains or wooden shutters. The bright eyes belonged to a figure crouched on top of a wooden table, staring down a woman who exuded defiance even in the dark.

"You do not have very many warnings left, Teela," a gleefully smooth voice said, one that belonged to another female.

"How cowardly of you, Splendor," the older woman said, "Having to face me in the dark and with your brothers. Are you losing your touch?"

The yellow eyes quickly faded in a neon red color, "Watch your tongue, you wretched Luta!"

"Seems I hit a nerve. How low the Mobile family has fallen," Teela said, a smirk evident in her voice, "I thought you got those dirty pirates to do your bidding."

"Well it seems that they aren't getting the message through, so I thought I would make a personal house call," she answered, her eyes slowly fading back to yellow, "And I will not underestimate you. It is why I bring my brothers with me. Think of it as a compliment."

"It's no compliment when you fight dirty. You keep it dark so the focus is on you while your brothers attack."

"I am simply taking advantage of what was given to me. And my Glow Glow Fruit has many other abilities besides distraction," Splendor said, flashing out of sight and reappearing behind Teela soundlessly. Her eyes were now neon blue while a glowing blue blade extended out of her hand and up along Teela's throat, "Do not forget that."

"And you seem to keep forgetting who I am," Teela said, sending her elbow back into Splendor's face. She dipped down low before the blue blade could make contact with her neck, spinning on her heel to see Splendor light up in a bright neon red color.

"Glory! Grandeur!" Splendor shouted.

With the shout, two dark figures broke away from their hiding spots and made a beeline for Teela. One came up on the woman, throwing out punches and kicks, which Teela only managed to dodge by the faint red light that Splendor let off. The other figure made slashing motions with duel knives. One of the blades ran across her cheek, warm blood trickling down her face. For the first time during the confrontation, Teela let a look of panic cross her face.

Splendor did not miss the look, her red light slowly fading as a sly grin spread across her face, "We have you now," she said, the house going dark once things were silent. In the dark, Splendor could sense her brothers moving in for a silent attack, one that would ensure their warnings would be taken seriously.

Though, the kicking of a door ruined it all.

All eyes turned towards the light coming in through the front door, the large figure of Tee-Nichy standing in the doorway. He stormed into the house, opening windows and curtains as he moved through the house to let in more light. His hazel eyes bore down on the two men that were closing in on Teela, causing him to move towards them. He swung an arm at one of them when he was close enough, but they easily jumped back away from him.

"Easy now," Splendor said, her voice coming from behind Tee-Nichy. He turned quickly to see her crouched down on top of the kitchen table, "Do you really want to start a war with the Mobile family?"

"You started one when you came into our home!" Tee-Nichy shouted, attempting to swing at the woman as well.

"Tee-Nichy!" Teela said, making a grab for the large man, "I'm fine. Let them go."

He looked down at the woman to see blood dripping from the cut on her cheek, "They hurt you. How can I let them go?!"

"Just calm down. Please."

Tee-Nichy's breathing was becoming ragged, the man not being able to calm down. He felt himself falling away as his anger took root in his mind. His vision was filling with red, the same red that fell down Teela's cheek. And just when it seemed like the man was going to snap, a hand smacked him upside his head.

"Let it go, Tee-Nichy," London said, the old man now standing beside his grandson. He then looked towards the intruders in his home, "And I believe it is time for you to leave," he said, his voice sharp and his eyes hard, "You can let your father know that I will be in contact with him soon."

Splendor stared down the old man before she finally let out a sigh, "Glory. Grandeur. It is time to go," she said, the two men immediately heading towards the front door at her words. She kept her eyes on London as she began to follow them, "Just as I told your daughter, you have very few warnings left. Leave the ship making business to the Mobile family or suffer the consequences."

"Leave. I have work to attend to," London said, completely ignoring her warning.

Splendor narrowed her eyes at him before finally taking her leave of the home. Outside, her brothers were waiting for her as well as an interesting group that appeared to have followed London and Tee-Nichy up to their home.

"Oh, how pretty!"

Splendor looked to see a redhead bouncing towards her.

"Your hair is so shiny!"

Splendor smiled at the woman, running a hand through her silver hair, "Why, thank you miss," she said, "And I must say that your own hair is quite pretty. So red," she said, eyeing the woman with cool, blue eyes, "I can make my hair red as well."

"Really?! How do you do it?!"

"Come visit me in the dark of the night," she said, her smile widening as she moved forward to run a hand through the woman's red locks, "I can show you many things then."

Before she could touch the redhead, a large body stomped in front of her. She looked up to see vivid blue eyes glaring at her, ones that took her by surprise. The vividness wasn't just from their color. It was the look of intimidation in them, a look that dared her to try something. This man was different than anyone she had dealt with in the Luta family. This man was a real challenge.

"You were leaving," the man stated.

"Don't be rude, Amos!"

Splendor quirked an eye at the name, as if it had sounded familiar. She tucked away the name for later when she could fully think on it. For the moment, she returned to smiling.

"Splendor."

She looked towards her brothers to see that they had called for her, knowing they shouldn't overstay in Luta territory. While her brothers were both tall, dark, and handsome, considering they were twins, and they appeared to have their own intimidation factor to them, it was clear that Splendor was in charge. With one glaring look from her, they both closed their mouths and turned away from her, knowing to patiently wait until she was finished with her business.

"No worries, my dear," Splendor said, turning back to the redhead, "Your friend is right, I must be going. But do stop by the Mobile family home some time and I will show you wonders in the dark," she said, her smile growing upon seeing curiosity spark in the young woman's green eyes, "Just ask for Splendor Mobile."

With that, the woman swayed away, her brothers following her once she took the lead.

"Geez, Amos," Roni said, looking up at the man, "You were kinda rude."

"We really need to work on your perception of people," he said, moving to rejoin Balto and Adam.

Roni cocked her head to the side, staring after Splendor, "But she didn't seem so bad. And she was so pretty!"

"Beauty can be a killer," Balto said, "Now come on, little miss! We have a deal about a boat to discuss!"

"Oh right! We're finally gonna have a ship that our captain won't destroy!"

"I'm not your captain," Amos grumbled, popping the last kiwiberry into his mouth.

"You keep telling yourself that," Balto said as the group entered the Luta home.

It was then that they all spotted a middle-aged woman standing in between London and Tee-Nichy. She had dark hair like Tee-Nichy, being fashioned into thick dreadlocks that were held up in a ponytail, save for one tendril that hung on the left side of her face. Her dark eyes and cocoa skin gave her a warm appearance. She had a decent amount of muscle, but still appeared feminine, even in worn work clothes and boots. She turned slightly to face the group when she heard them enter.

Roni's eyes widened when she saw the woman, her eyes sparkling, "Are all the women on this island super pretty?!"

The woman's hardened faced softened upon hearing the comment, "Hello," she greeted with a warm smile, "The name's Luta Teela. My father and son tell me you're here to have a ship built. You came to the right people!"

Roni jumped forward first, answering the woman's warm smile with a spectacularly bright one, "I'm Kronikka Heather Jana Marie Douglas the tenth!" she announced with her hands on her hips, light erupting behind her, "But you can just call me Roni," she said, sticking out her hand towards Teela.

The woman laughed, a laugh thick like honey, and shook the redhead's hand, "Nice to meet you! And your friends? Do they have wonderful names like you?"

Roni's smile only seemed to grow at the woman's enjoyment of her antics, "Nah, they don't come from prestigious enough families," she said, earning a sigh from Amos, a snort of laughter from Balto, and a confused cock of the head from Adam, "But they're still good men. This is Adam, the human robot! Balto, the weirdo ex-marine! And last but not least, Amos! The captain of our little family!"

"I'm not a captain!"

Roni moved up close to Teela and whispered, "He's such a bad liar!"

Teela began laughing while Amos grabbed onto the back of Roni's shirt and lifted her up to his eye level, "Stop that!" he snapped, "And don't go around telling people everything about us!"

She patted his cheek, looking back over at Teela, "He's not so bad once you get to know him."

Amos felt his eye twitch in irritation, but before he could say anything in response, Tee-Nichy began talking.

"Not so bad? He's a thief!"

"Tee-Nichy!" Teela said.

"He's technically not a thief if the merchandise was paid for," Balto interrupted.

Tee-Nichy opened his mouth in response, but words failed to come out.

London began chuckling, "He's right."

"Tch, whatever," Tee-Nichy said with a grumble, "But gramps! How could you let Splendor and the morons go so easily?!"

"They are not our priority right now," London said calmly.

"Not our priority?! Look what they did to Mum!"

"It's just a scratch, Tee-Nichy. Nothing that won't heal," Teela said.

"The moment we give into their games is the moment we lose," London said.

"Games?! They meant to kill her this time!"

"We don't know that," London said, "Now, calm down."

Tee-Nichy clenched his fists and teeth, not happy with any outcome of the morning, "I'm going to cool off," he said before promptly walking out of the house.

"Where's he going? I hope we didn't upset him that much!" Roni said.

"He's just upset about the Mobile family," Teela sighed, pulling out a white cloth to wipe her cheek with, "And he has reason to be. They keep making trouble like that. Most of the time we can handle it since they just send thugs and cheap pirates our way. They don't usually come themselves like that. They're upping their game," she said, looking over at London, "Do you really think it was smart to let them go so easily?"

"It was the best decision to make," London answered, "If they went home with any sort of damage on them, then Boris would have a reason to send a full out attack our way. Better to keep him docile for now."

"Doesn't seem like he's being docile right now," Teela said, "Sending out his children like that."

London was quiet for a moment, knowing how right his daughter was; but he'd rather not stir up trouble that was better left alone, "We'll leave the situation alone for now. As I said to Splendor, I will go speak with her father soon," he said, "Besides, we have clients to attend to right now."

"Ah, right," Teela said, smiling her warm, honey smile towards the group in her home, "Sorry about all that. How about we head down to the shipyard to start talking about what you want in a ship?"

"Something that Amos' fat butt can't wreck!" Roni said loudly, earning another sigh form Amos and laughs from the rest of the group.

"Sounds great! I have a few ideas in mind already," Balto said as he, Roni, and Adam followed Teela out of the house.

Amos was a close step behind them until he caught movement off to his right when they were outside. He stopped to stare at it, vaguely aware of the disappearing voices he had just been following. He watched the large form of Tee-Nichy already in the ocean from the hill that the Luta home sat atop of. He was moving faster through the water than Amos expected he could. He saw off in the distance a tiny piece of land that only held two buildings on it.

"He's heading to the house I built for his father and the dojo his father built for him," London said, answering the question in Amos' mind, "It's a place for him to think and cool off."

"A house for his father? You hate the guy that much?"

London laughed in replied, "Some people thought so, what with Ra-Nichy being what he was."

"Was? Is the guy dead?"

"I can't answer that question. I like to believe he's still alive, for Tee-Nichy's sake. There's many questions he has for his father. He left when Tee-Nichy was twelve."

"So you didn't hate the guy?"

"No. Ra-Nichy was a good man, my daughter loves him, and he gave us Tee-Nichy. There's no reason to hate a man like that."

"But that house…it's so far from your own home."

"It is," London said, lighting up a pipe. Silence enveloped them for a time until London blew out a stream of smoke, "Ra-Nichy asked for it to be built way out there. For all the good the man exuded, he still believed that he would ruin Teela's life because of what he was. He didn't want to intervene with it, not if he could help it anyway."

"But they had Tee-Nichy. I'd say that's intervening quite a bit, especially with him being a Fishman, well sort of."

"So you noticed? You're a sharp man," London said with a knowing smile.

"I used to know a few Fishman. It's easy enough to pick up on the signs," Amos said, "It's easy to tell that the black and white spot on him doesn't come from human genetics. And I'm going to guess that there's a blowhole underneath those dreadlocks of his."

"You really are a sharp one," London said, letting another brief pause pass through them, "Yes, Ra-Nichy was a Killer Whale Fishman. I suppose Fishman isn't a very good category to put him under, but it's the best one we've got."

"It's just another branch of Fishman, really. I'm surprised that it took so long to uncover their kind, but they're out there. I've heard that they're stronger than regular Fishman too."

"I suppose with the right training, they could be. Ra-Nichy was a powerful man, I could tell that much, but he never fought to his full potential when he was here with us."

"So why'd he leave?"

"That's the same question that Tee-Nichy has been asking for the past eight years now. We don't know," London answered, blowing out another stream of smoke.

"I see," Amos said, taking another look towards the tiny island that Tee-Nichy had gone to, "Well, I hope you both get some answers one day," he said, moving to follow the path that the rest of his group had walked down.

"I know who you are, Amos Valdovas."

The statement and the unwavering voice that said it caused Amos to stop dead in his tracks. His muscles tensed up, almost painfully so. How? How did this old man know who he was?

"Do you honestly think that shipwrights don't get around?" London asked, "That we don't feel the need to have our own adventures? How do you think we design ships so well? We must go out and face the same things that pirates and marines face to know how to build a proper, stable ship."

"And what does any of that have to do with me?"

"I've had dealings with the Yonko named Rhode Kingsley," he answered, watching as Amos's muscles practically twisted under his skin, "And from those dealings, I know about you. Plus, your face used to be plastered everywhere. Captain of the Spero Pirates. Worth 200,000,000 beri at only eighteen. Blue Steel Amos."

Amos turned slowly to face London, the emotions in his eyes unreadable, but still intense nonetheless, "I'm not that man."

"Maybe not anymore, but you used to be."

"And if I was that man? What would you do? Turn me in?"

"No."

"But that man was a pirate."

"And? People always seem to think that to call someone a pirate means to call them evil, but that's never always the case. Would you call Rhode Kingsley evil?"

"No!" Amos answered with much more force than he intended to.

London eyed him knowingly, "Exactly. To be a pirate doesn't mean to be evil. Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Luffy proved that many times over. And I know you are not evil, so no, I will not turn you in."

"Then what's the point of even bringing it up?"

"Because I have a feeling about you. And I believe that your partners in crime have the same feeling about you. People don't follow someone randomly or blindly. They follow someone because of what they stand for or because of the feelings that they exude. And you exude greatness and adventure."

A chill ran down Amos' spine when the old man spoke those words, but he quickly shook off the feeling, "I don't know who the hell you think you're looking at, old man, but I exude nothing!"

"Amos Valdovas!" London snapped, turning to fully face Amos; and in the moment the old man seemed to tower over him despite their difference in size, "I will make you a ship! A grand ship! One that will take you to the Grand Line and farther!" he announced in a voice that commanded every ounce of Amos' attention, "And you will take my grandson with you," he said, his voice becoming softer, "There is a change in the air and you coming here is no coincidence. You were meant to find us, to find Tee-Nichy. He was always meant to go out into the world. To discover things and do things that he cannot do on this island. And I believe…I _know_ he can achieve those things with you."

Amos was quiet for a long time, his eyes wide in shock. How was he supposed to respond to that? He couldn't. Not with being the man he currently was. Not when he didn't believe in himself anymore. And not when he was fighting with everything in his being against the fate the world was pushing him towards.

"I can't be the man you want me to be," Amos finally said, hating how broken he sounded.

"You can," London said, taking one last, long look at Amos before he began to walk past him towards the shipyard, "Do not forget what inspired you in your despair. And do not forget how to dream. Always dream. And always fight for those dreams. Always."

" _Always dream, Amos. Dreams led me to my crew. Dreams led me to your mother. And dreams gave me you. Even in darkness you have dreams. Remember them, always."_

Tears threatened to fall between London's words and the words of his father. But he just couldn't bring himself to cry over what he had lost and what he was refusing to regain. Not yet. It didn't feel right yet. And he wasn't ready to give up on his fight against fate. He wasn't ready to give up on the peace he had found that was slowly slipping away from him.

Amos never followed London to the shipyard, instead making his way towards the shore that faced the tiny island that Tee-Nichy had disappeared to. Amos had a thought about disappearing too.

 **. : + : .**

"Good morning, father," Splendor said, walking into her father's office, her brothers in tow.

While Boris Mobile was a tall man, he was also rather portly, having to tuck his stomach in between his desk and chair. A thick cigar was held in one hand, hovering slightly over the crystal ashtray on his desk. And while he might have been a heavyset man, he had clothes that fit him rather well, the man finding pride in his clothing. His suits were always grand, coming in various bright colors and styles. At the moment, he sported a bright yellow and orange stripped suit along with alligator skin loafers. And a heavy, and obviously very expensive, black jacket hung over the chair he sat in.

"Splendor!" he boomed, a wide grin spreading across his face, "Always a beauty you are. Just like your mother. May her soul rest in peace!" he said, all heads bowing in silence for a moment. Soon enough, Boris popped his head back up while twirling a finger around the rather large, black mustache that covered his upper lip; having a matching full head of black hair atop his head, "What news do you bring me?!"

"We visited the Luta family as you requested," Splendor began, "But only Teela was home. I gave her the warning…and then some."

"Shhhtatatatatata!" Boris laughed, "Wonderful!"

"Yes, at first it was."

"At first?"

"Her freak of a son ruined things along with London."

Boris slammed a hand down on his desk, almost cracking the wood, but kept the wide smile across his face, "Wretched Lutas!"

"But I have more interesting news, father!"

"Ohhhh?! What might it be?!"

"They were meeting with an interesting group. A redhead that was rather cute that I cannot wait to meet again!" she said, her mind racing with ideas that all involved said redhead, "And a man named Amos."

"Amos?" Boris asked, his finger now twirling faster through his mustache, "Could it be _that_ Amos?"

"I do believe it is," Splendor said, "He had hair of blue and silver."

"How interesting indeed!"

"Shall we call in marines to get rid of that little problem?"

"No, no, my dear," Boris said, his smile seeming to grow to an impossible stretch, "Nothing has been heard from that man for ten years. If it is the same man, he has become a coward and is nothing but a ghost of the man he used to be!"

Splendor nodded in agreement, deciding to push away the intimidating stare that she had received from Amos earlier. Her father was right, Amos was a coward.

"We will proceed with our plans! The Luta family will fall with or without a cowardly steel man! Shhtatatatatata!"

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!

 **Credits**

 **Luta Teela – TPACK245**

 **Mobile Family – TPACK245/MyDearWatson**

So yes, I'm back to updating this story! I had never wanted to leave this story as long as I did, but things happen and real life can be, well, crappy sometimes.

But anyways!

A few things to go over now that I'm back! CHA!

First off! I have made a deal with Origm2012. For every chapter he writes for The Most Free (another One Piece story), I will match it with a chapter of my own. And since we both seem to be on better writing schedules, I think it will move along nicely. So you should definitely check out his story! And Dawn should be updated much more regularly now! CHA!

Next! So I have lost a number of submissions that were previously sent into me. Now, I don't want a barrage of PMs being sent to me with characters because that's just too much, lol. And since planning for this story has changed some things that will be going down in it, I ask that everyone hold off on sending me characters immediately after reading this chapter. I need a more organized way of accepting characters and knowing what kind of characters I need. So what I ask that you do is that if you are interested in having a character in the story or eventually sending one in, please PM me that you wish to do so. And then I will tell you exactly the positions I have open or am looking for as well as any Devil Fruits that are taken. It will be much easier for me this way. So I still want you all to send in characters if you are interested, but there will be a bit more organization this time around.

Next! So I just wanted to briefly go over the type of Fishman that is introduced in this chapter. Yes, I know that whales are not fish, let's get that out of the way first, lol. But I will have a branch of Fishman that are whales, dolphins, manatees, etc. So basically, if they live in the water, but breathe air, they will be a part of this branch. They are overly strong like Fishman and can hold their breath for ridiculously long periods of time, but they cannot breathe under water like regular Fishman do. I find it odd that characters like this don't already exist in the One Piece world…at least I'm pretty sure they don't. Anyways, another reason I explain this is because if you wish to make an OC that is from this branch of Fishman, you are more than welcome to. I do ask that you reach out to me first about making one of these that way I can tell you if the type of Fishman you want to use is taken or not. That way I don't just have a bunch of blue whales running around the place, lol.

Hopefully last thing! Thanks for all the reviews you all sent in for the last chapter! They made me smile like always! And thanks to everyone following and reading this story! I really do have a lot of fun writing it! And welcome to any new readers that find their way to this story! Hope you all are enjoying the story and continue to do so!

I do believe that's it!

Make sure to check out The Most Free by Origm2012! And as soon as he has another chapter out for it, I'll be matching it! CHA!

See you all next time!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


	15. Beauty Can Be a Killer

**A/N:** YAS! A new chapter!

I don't own One Piece!

Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Beauty Can Be a Killer**

 **May 2** **nd** **– Late Morning**

Amos stood on the shoreline that morning for a long time, just staring at the tiny island in front of him. He was certain that it was almost the afternoon and he had barely moved two inches since arriving at the shore. He had wanted to disappear like Tee-Nichy, but there was nowhere for him to go. He was honestly surprised that Roni or Balto hadn't shown up yet to drag him back to the shipyard to help them pick things out for the ship, but there had been no signs of them. Maybe London had kept them entertained to give him some time, which he honestly would be thankful for. He had no interest in building that ship. It's not like he would be captain of it.

" _Always dream."_

Both London's and his father's voices echoed through his head.

His teeth clenched, hoping the pressure it caused would chase away the voices. It did nothing but amplify them. He ran a hand through his hair as he began pacing in the sand, almost as if he was trying to walk away from the voices. He got about ten paces away from where he had been standing to be hit with a new voice, causing him to stop in his tracks.

" _I don't want to forget about existing in this world. I don't want history to forget that I'm here too. And I believe with you I can do that."_

"Roni," he mumbled, turning away from her words and all the hope she had placed into him. He didn't understand why she thought he could do anything for her. It was stupid. Like he could ever be someone's hope.

He walked away from that spot, but only got so far until another voice interrupted his walk.

" _You've missed it. Everything. Being a pirate and a captain. Fighting off marines. Being part of a crew. Sailing the seas. The ocean. Your freedom."_

"Dammit Balto!" he said, his voice rising. His eyes caught the sight of a small dock and boat on the shoreline, one that London or Teela must use to go over to the tiny island. He stomped towards it, moving away from Balto's voice. What did an ex-marine know about him anyway? Like he missed any of those things. All he missed was not existing. He didn't want to be a pirate or captain. Not anymore. Didn't anyone get that?! He had his freedom at least until all these people came into his life. Why was he even still traveling with them?! He could have left a long time ago!

But then bright green eyes full of hope and optimism invaded his mind. The same ones that had pulled him this far away from Viridian Island. The same ones that had made him feel things that he had guarded himself from for ten years.

"I won't be swayed!" he practically shouted as he stepped into the small boat and pushed off the shore. He grabbed one of the oars and began moving out towards the tiny island, "I won't be part of another crew! I won't be betrayed again!"

Amos had managed to make it halfway to the island before losing the oar in his hand due to his anger. He shouted as he tried to reach for it with the second oar in the boat, but ended up losing that one too. He stood, shouting again as he looked down into the rippling water, watching as it smoothed out enough for him to see his reflection in it. A scowl was covering his face, but he did notice that the voices from earlier had faded. Though, they were only replaced with one very loud voice.

" _Bring back the Will of D, Amos Valdovas."_

Amos still couldn't identify the voice, but it was clearly female. He couldn't figure out who would ask something like that of him. Didn't they know that the Will of D was gone? No one believed in it anymore. There were no more decent pirates left in the world. How naive he had been to think that there were. How stupid he had been to think he could be one. And how ridiculous it was of him to think he could bring a change like that into the world.

"You're a pathetic man, Amos Valdovas," he said calmly, too calmly, "I can't do this anymore. I can't be what everyone wants me to be. I can't do anything to help anyone. I can't be someone's hope or adventure or the bringer of change," he said, looking up at the sky. The sky was powder blue and silky while perfectly puffy white clouds dotted it. He kept that vision engrained in his mind as he closed his eyes and let his knees go slack, "I can't do anything, but at least I can choose how to die."

As soon as those words left his lips, he felt cool water hit his back. The ocean flew up around him and engulfed him in seconds. He felt his body go weak, but he had been prepared for that. He didn't struggle like the last time he had been dumped into the ocean. Instead, he let his limbs hang loosely, allowing himself to sink to his death.

But the closer he got to death, the harder it was to focus on that perfect sky in his mind. Visions of the woman that had betrayed him began to appear. That smug look on her face as he sank got to him. He opened his eyes, seeing the light of the surface fading away, but he could have sworn that woman's face was peering down at him again, laughing at him again.

'What a bitch,' he thought, not only for the woman, but that these would be the last thoughts he would have before passing on.

He closed his eyes again, willing the vision of that woman away. He felt the end coming to him. He only had moments left before he would finally be at peace eternally. He tried to put himself at ease thinking that he would see his father again, but in his last moments he felt restless and uneasy, like he had forgotten to do something…or several things.

'Like I can do anything about it now,' he thought, 'Hopefully I don't come back as a ghost…'

Amos opened his eyes again, wanting to take in the sight of the ocean one last time before departing. He could still see the light of the surface, and upon seeing that light, he felt regret. He thought himself truly pathetic in that moment and knew then that this cowardly death was suiting for him. But he just couldn't help the hand that reached out towards that light, hoping that maybe someone would save him again, however unlikely it would be.

So needless to say, his slowly closing eyes popped back open in surprise when he felt a hand wrap around his arm. For a split second, that arm was pale and slim, but owned a powerful grip. He imagined that it had belonged to the woman who had saved him ten years ago, but there was no way that she would be there to save him again, right?

His question was soon answered as the arm changed into one of a brown coloring that was much more thickly muscled. Another arm matching the first one looped around his torso, and in the next instant, he felt his body rushing upwards.

When he broke the surface, Amos took in a large gasp of air, the rush of oxygen through his body almost painful. He felt so weak in that moment. He still couldn't even die properly. He really couldn't do anything right. All he felt was shame as he felt himself being dragged through the water. And it almost felt like a blink of the eye when he was being thrown down harshly on a sandy shore.

"Fuck," he mumbled, "I feel like shit."

"You damned idiot! It could be a lot worse! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Amos looked over to see Tee-Nichy glaring down at him.

"If you don't know how to swim, don't go in the water!"

"It's not that I don't know how," Amos said, looking back up at the perfect sky with a straight face, "It's that I literally can't."

"Literally can't?" Tee-Nichy repeated, thinking over what Amos had meant by this. Finally, a light bulb lit up in his mind, "You have Devil Fruit abilities?" he asked, receiving a nod from Amos, "Then why the hell did you go into the water?! Were you trying to die?!"

Amos stayed silent, which still answered Tee-Nichy's question.

"I knew you were an idiot, but now I know you're a complete fucking moron!"

"What does it matter to you what I do with my life?"

Tee-Nichy gave the steel man a good, hard whack to the head. Amos' hands flung up to his head, the man rolling across the sand in pain. Amos could count the amount of people that could induce pain on him so easily on one hand. He'd have to watch himself around the half-Fishman.

"Suicide is not an answer!"

"What do you know?" Amos grumbled through his pain.

"Have you looked at me recently? I can be categorized as a freak, but I'm not gonna kill myself over it!" Tee-Nichy shouted, moving farther up the shore to grab a long, dark wooden pipe and a lighter. He lit it up and took a few angry puffs of it, "Everyone's got shit to deal with. Dying isn't going to fix anything," he said, walking back towards Amos and plopping down next to him, "And by the way, you sound like a little bitch when you complain, so stop it."

Amos stared at him in shock, a hand still rubbing his sore head. He thought about his sore head and the telling off he had just received from a man that was younger than him by eight years. Amos couldn't help it, but he was soon laughing, hard and loud. Everything in that moment just seemed so ridiculous that all he could do was laugh at it.

"Damn weirdo," Tee-Nichy said.

"Look," Amos said when he had calmed down enough, "Can we keep this little incident between us?"

"You worry too much. Chill out already," Tee-Nichy said, shoving the pipe into Amos' hand.

Amos sniffed at the pipe before taking in a drag of it. He could feel the calming effect of it quickly, his body relaxing as he smoothly blew the smoke out, "That's the real stuff," he said, passing the pipe back to Tee-Nichy.

"It better be. I grew it myself," he said, taking the pipe back and taking his own drag, "You should feel honored that I shared it, especially with all the trouble you've given me today. Making me pay for the kiwiberries and then saving your dumb ass."

"Yeah," Amos replied, thinking about what he had just attempted to do to himself. He sighed heavily, knowing now that it had been the wrong thing to do. He knew he was all kinds of messed up, but he had really gone too far that time. He really needed to review his mental state soon, but for now, the pipe was enough to keep him from doing any other stupid stunts. That, and he was sure Tee-Nichy would give him a real beating if he tried anything else and that was something he'd rather not try out, "I owe you one."

"No shit," Tee-Nichy said, passing the pipe back over to the steel man, "How about you just tell me why you tried to drown yourself and we'll call it even?"

Amos went quiet again, not really in the mood to relive his past. Though, he did owe the man beside him an explanation. He took in another drag before answering, "I promise to one day. Just not now."

"Fine," Tee-Nichy said, figuring that pushing Amos right now wasn't in anyone's best interest, "Just know that I'll keep you to that promise, but if you break your promise I'll be telling everyone how you screamed and cried like a little bitch today."

"I did not-"

"How else do you think I knew to come after you?" Tee-Nichy asked, quickly cutting him off, "I heard you shouting and talking to yourself before you fell into the water."

Amos opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out in response. He grumbled for a moment before saying, "But I didn't cry."

"No, but who else is going to deny that point? It was only me and you. And considering I'm the one with the power of blackmail right now, I'll add in what I please."

"Fucking smartass," Amos said, taking another puff of the pipe before passing it back to Tee-Nichy.

"Yeah, well, it's better than being your dumb ass."

Amos snorted in reply to that. The Fishman had a point there. He then looked over at the large man with an expectant stare, "Okay, please tell me that you're not sitting here smoking that pipe without something to snack on?"

"Didn't I just say I'm not stupid?" Tee-Nichy said, standing up and moving further up the shore again. He soon brought back a small, wooden crate and sat it in between them.

Amos looked down to see the bright red and orange skin of kiwiberries, "Good man!" he said, smacking a hand to Tee-Nichy's back. The two sat in silence for a long moment, eating the berries and smoking the pipe. Then a thought hit Amos, "You had a stash of these out here and still fought me for one?!"

All Tee-Nichy could do was laugh loudly in reply, even when Amos threw a berry at him, smacking him directly on the forehead. Tee-Nichy managed to grab it before it hit the sand, eat it, and then continue laughing.

Amos could only roll his eyes in response before returning to the pipe and berries.

 **. : + : .**

 **May 2** **nd** **– Late Evening**

Roni was walking through Rupahu, the town belonging to the Mobile family, late that evening. She had just meant to go to the main port town Tohora to gather supplies to create more bombs and replenish her stock, Balto and Teela having been nice enough to lend her money to do so; but her mood had grown sour by the hour.

Amos still hadn't come back from wherever he was and neither had Tee-Nichy. She figured the two were off having a good time without the rest of them and it made her jealous to think so. She had spent so much time trying to find Amos and then put even more effort into convincing him to create a new crew. And then in comes a half-Fishman and takes control of everything!

"Hmph! Well if Amos can go off with new friends, then so can I!"

She had gotten it in her head to go see Splendor Mobile. She had been invited after all. She didn't care what Amos had said to her about her perception of people. She just thought he was being too cautious. She had come all this way to experience the world and experiencing the world meant meeting new people too!

Roni had understood the standoff that Teela had with the woman, but she had chalked that up to them being rivals. It wasn't like Splendor had killed the woman and Splendor had been nice enough to invite her into her home. She couldn't be all bad, could she? Really, she just wanted to shove it into Amos' face that she could make her own friends too and to make him wonder where she had gone off to for hours.

So she continued making her way through Rupahu, noticing that this side of the island seemed more plush and fancy. Many of the shops sold expensive items, ranging from jewelry to collector's books to décor. It was all very pretty, but Roni couldn't help but feel it was lacking in character and warmth, like the kind that Tuturu held. She decided to ignore this fact, hoping that her invite into the Mobile home would hold the warmth that the town was lacking.

Though, her steps came to a dead stop as she came to stand before a rather large house. It practically towered over the town and outshone it, considering it was covered in shining yellow and orange paints. A grand cherry red door pulled her focus towards it, prompting her feet to start moving again towards it. It took a moment to walk down the long path towards the home, but once she stood in front of the red door, Roni was certain that this was the Mobile home.

She gave the door three goods knocks and only waited for a split second before the door was opened smoothly. Before her stood a tall man dressed in a pristine butler's suit. His emerald hair was slicked back neatly and his deep brown eyes stared down at her in surprise.

"I do not believe the Mobile family was expecting guests today," he said in a deep, rich voice, "I must ask you to leave, miss."

"It's Roni. Just Roni," she smiled up at him, surprising him again by the genuine smile she held, "I came to see Splendor Mobile. She invited me here."

The man eyed her for a moment before looking up to the sky to see the sun sinking for the day. He turned back to the redhead with a glint of worry in his eyes, "Please, miss, I must ask that you take your leave for the day. If Miss Splendor invited you here, please come back tomorrow during the day."

"But I'm already here!" Roni said, stomping her foot down, "Do you know how long it took me to walk here from Tuturu?!"

"You came from the Luta family?" the butler asked, more worry lacing his voice.

"That's who we're doing business with, but I met Splendor earlier today and she invited me here, so let me in already!"

"Please leave," he urged, beginning to lose the politeness that his voice had held previously, "You should not be here. Not at this time of night."

"But Splendor said she'd show me some cool things she can do in the dark!"

"You do not understand! Miss, please, leav-"

"Loto, we have a guest?" a silky-smooth voice said from within the house. Soon, the silvery hair of Splendor appeared, the dying light of the day making it shine like gold, "Ah, Miss Roni! You took me up on my invitation?" she asked, her smile spreading across her face, "Wonderful! You should have come for me, Loto," she said, turning to give the man a knowing look.

"Sorry, Miss Splendor," he said as he moved back from the door to let Roni inside, "But I did not recall the family having guests stop by today, especially this late at night."

"We can have guests at night as well, Loto," she said, reaching out a slim hand towards Roni, "Please remember this in the future."

"Yes, Miss Splendor."

"Come, my dear," Splendor said, waiting for Roni to take her hand, "We shall have tea out on the back patio."

Roni smiled at the woman as she took her hand. She didn't know why Amos had been so worried about Splendor. She was being so nice and polite towards her that his hostility towards the woman didn't make any sense to her.

The pair walked through the house, Splendor calling out to a maid to prepare tea for them as they made their way to the patio. Everything in the home was grand and colorful and shining. And again, while it was very pretty, Roni still didn't feel any warmth in the house. And she tried to ignore the tighter than normal grip that Splendor had on her arm as she led her through the house. She told herself that it just must be how Splendor is with everyone.

They eventually reached the patio. It was just as grand as everything else in the home, being made of the same red wood that created the front door. Splendor led them over towards a small glass table that had white iron chairs surrounding it. Just as they sat down, the maid that Splendor had spoken to earlier appeared with freshly made tea and a plate of cookies to go with it. After filling both intricately designed teacups, the maid bowed and disappeared from the patio.

"So," Splendor began, dropping two sugar cubes into her glass, "What do you think of our family home?"

"It's very pretty," Roni said, sniffing at the tea before dropping in a few cubes of sugar into her own cup, "And grand."

"Yes, my father enjoys all things beautiful and grand. He is a grand man himself."

"He must know how to run a business," Roni said after taking a sip of her tea. She did her best to not show on her face that she disliked it. She was there to make a friend, so she was going suck it up and have a cup of tea despite how gross it was, "I mean, to afford this house and everything in it, he must make a lot of money for the family."

"Oh yes, he is a very good businessman," she answered, "It would be much easier if we did not have to share the island with the Luta family, but we do very well regardless."

"So then…" Roni began, not sure how to word her question without offending the woman.

"So why make the house call I did earlier with Teela?"

"Yes."

"It was all in good fun. We are rivals, after all," she said, setting her cup down with purpose as she looked straight at Roni, "You would like to see some fun, yes Miss Roni?" she asked with a stretched smiled, the sun sinking lower and lower behind her.

"Ah, right!" Roni said, her previous worry about Teela's and Splendor's dealings washing away, "You did say you would show me wonders in the dark," she said, the sun completely disappearing after she spoke.

"Yes," Splendor said, her eyes glowing neon yellow in the dark, "I did say I could make my hair red like your own," she said, her silver hair lighting up a bright red.

"Oh wow!" Roni said, her eyes sparkling at what she could only describe as magic happening right in front of her.

The two women sat in silence for a time after that. Splendor periodically changing her hair color and Roni being dazzled by it. Though, the redhead missed the growing smile spreading across Splendor's face as the Mobile woman thought of all the things that she could do with the young woman sitting before her. Finally, her mind decided on a plan, her smile practically curling at the thought of it.

"Glow Glow Arrow," her silky voice cut through the silence. Her eyes changed into a neon blue while an arrow shot up out of her palm.

Roni watched the arrow in awe, seeing it sweep around the patio and the garden beyond the patio with ease. It left traces of the bright light behind it, giving it a hypnotizing affect. She smiled at the show of Splendor's abilities.

"So pretty," she said softly.

"Quite," Splendor said, "You know, the Mobile family could have made you a pretty ship as well."

"I'm sure," Roni said, still watching the arrow, "But we're already working with London and his family."

"Oh, but my dear, it could be so easy to come to my family."

"Thank you," Roni said, looking at Splendor with a smile, "But London has already started to draw up designs for us. And both Balto and I really like what we've seen so far. I'm sure your family could have made a good ship too, but we'll stick with the Luta family."

"What a shame."

Roni only had a second to cock her head to the side in confusion before a terrible ripping sound echoed across the patio. Roni's eyes went wide as she felt an odd sensation in her upper arm and she felt a hot wetness across her skin. She looked down to her left arm to see a hole big enough for the glowing blue arrow to fit through. It was then that the pain hit her, causing a loud scream to erupt out of her and her right hand grab for the wound. Blood easily seeped out through her fingers as she jumped up from the table.

"And you were so cute too," Splendor said as she rose from her seat and began to slowly walk over towards Roni.

Roni's mind went into panic mode, causing her to grab hold of the glass table and flip it towards Splendor while she made a run for it.

The tea set easily crashed to the ground while Splendor sent the blue arrow into the middle of the table to break the glass. Shards of it shot outwards towards Roni, a few of the pieces managing to cut across her skin.

"I invited you into my home and this is how you repay me?" Splendor said, though she said it with a wicked smile.

Roni ignored her question as she ran across the patio and jumped over the side of it. She ran up along the side of the house, hoping to make it into town and disappear from the woman. Fear was driving her every step, causing her to trip up a few times in her path to freedom. She made it to the front of the house, thinking she had escaped Splendor only to see the flash of bright blue shooting out from the front door. Roni barely managed to notice it in time to dodge enough to have the arrow slice through her right side rather than pierce her through the stomach. More blood seeped out and down along her skin as she turned to face the front door.

"You think that you can deny the Mobile family so easily?!" Splendor called out, "I gave you several chances to ask our family to make you a ship. All you had to say was yes, my dear, and you could have been spared this pain!" she said as she stepped out onto the front porch, her blue eyes lit up in excitement and the blue arrow spinning around her, blood dripping from it.

"We're definitely not doing business with you now!" Roni shouted, her eyes darting around to find an escape route. No way was she dying here!

"I am afraid I would not take your business now, even if you begged for it," Splendor said, "But I must make an example of what happens when one tells the Mobile family no! And I will make sure you can stay alive long enough to send that message to those wretched Lutas!"

"I was wrong! You're not pretty at all!"

"You are right. I am not pretty. I am beautiful!" she said, aiming her arrow at Roni again. The redhead's eyes widened at seeing the weapon aimed at her again, causing her fear to take over again. Adrenaline pumped into her legs, her feet pushing off the ground straight into a sprint, "You should have listened to that friend of yours. Beauty can be a killer!"

Roni heard the arrow whistling through the air before is plunged itself through her left thigh. She let out another scream as the pain burst through her leg. She stumbled forward, but managed to catch herself from falling, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the arrow came back for her. She ignored the blood that spilled from her leg and across the ground, telling herself that it was just paint or ketchup or whatever else was a liquid red to keep her mind off the fact that it was her own blood she was staring at.

"Run stupid!" she shouted at herself, digging for the adrenaline that had just been coursing through her, "The story isn't ending here! I won't let you end it here!" she shouted so loud that her voice cracked as she turned heated eyes on Splendor.

Splendor was taken aback for a moment by the look in the woman's eyes, a look that so closely resembled the vivid blue eyes of Amos that had stared her down that morning. She never imagined that such a small girl could look so intimidating.

Roni then pushed off the ground, ignoring the pain in her leg and the blood that poured out from the wound as she moved. Another burst of adrenaline shot through her and she wasn't about to waste it.

'I just need to reach Tohora. If I can get there I'm safe," she thought, trying her damnedest to ignore the vision of the floating arrow dancing menacingly behind her, 'Tohora. I just gotta make it there and then I can head towards Tuturu. And then I can reach…then I can reach…'

"Amos!" she shouted as loud as she could, hoping that her voice could reach him.

Roni knew she could have called out for anyone. She could have called out for Balto or Teela, who she was sure would be looking for her by now. That would have been the smarter option. They would probably be closer than wherever Amos had disappeared to. Plus, she had been so upset with Amos before she came to the Mobile home for leaving her behind for so long. And yet, there she was shouting his name like it would make him appear instantly. She shouted his name again and again like it was the only thing that mattered in that single moment. She shouted his name like it would save her life.

"I think your story will end here, my dear!" Splendor said, preparing her arrow again. Though, before she could say another word or shoot her arrow properly, she was pushed aside.

Loto ran out of the house and straight for Roni. He easily picked her up by the waist, feeling guilty when he heard her hiss out in pain. He continued his dash, getting farther much faster than the redhead.

"LOTO!" Splendor screamed, the blue arrow whizzing straight for his head.

"Keep shouting for your friend!" his deep voice shouted down to Roni, whose face was scrunched up in pain; but she managed to do as he said, Amos' name the being the only one she could say over and over again still.

Loto could hear the arrow coming closer and he knew that he would have to sacrifice a part of himself if he wanted to get the both of them out of there alive. He knew if he tried to dodge the arrow now or run off its course that Splendor would just move it right along with him. He timed it well, waiting until the last second to jump up and allow the arrow to sink in through his right shoulder blade. It quickly flew out from his frontside, blood immediately following it. He clenched his teeth so hard he thought they might break, but he didn't break his pace or footing. He let a smirk cross his face when he heard Splendor's angry shouts behind him, but it quickly fell when he heard the arrow flying towards them again. He wasn't sure if he could let another hit land on him again and keep going at the pace he was going at.

"Dammit," he mumbled, hoping that Roni's shouts would have reached someone by now that would come to help them. And someone must have been watching over him in that moment. Just as the arrow was about to reach him again, he heard two heavy thumps land behind him along with the clang of Splendor's arrow against metal. He skidded to a stop to look behind him to see two tall men, one with a large white sword and the other with shaggy, black hair with his fists raised.

"You friends of the girl?" Loto asked, pointing down a still shouting Roni.

"Aye!" Balto answered.

"Good, take her and let's go," he said.

Balto nodded to Adam, the man turning towards Loto to take Roni from him. She was still shouting Amos' name and almost landed a punch on Adam's cheek when he tried to take her from Loto, but he had managed to catch her wrists in time.

"Roni! It's me! It's Adam!" he said, having to shout over her.

Roni finally registered the voice and the hands around her wrists. She looked up to see worried brown eyes staring down at her, "Adam!" she said, wiggling out of Loto's grasp and latching her arms around Adam's neck.

"Okay, let's go before the psycho decides to create more of those arrows!" Balto said, leading the pack away from the Mobile home and Rupahu while guarding them from the back.

The group continued to hear Splendor's angry screams until they were on the outskirts of Rupahu. Balto knew then that Roni had only managed to get by thanks to a rogue butler, the sight of a shining blue arrow, and her screams for a captain that hadn't answered them.

"I'm gonna kill him," he mumbled as the group continued towards Tuturu and the safety of the Luta home.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we are! Hope you all enjoyed it!

Got this out a little later than I had wanted to, but it's here all the same, yeah?

This chapter was great for me to write with a lot of the more intense stuff going on. I hadn't really planned out having Amos try to off himself like that, but it just sorta happened. What with all those different people telling him what to do and him wanting none of it and all the stuff he's kept buried for ten years starting to come to light, it just overloaded him and so he shut down. But at least him and Tee-Nichy are on a bit of some better terms. Not completely yet, but they're both coming around towards each other; and once they finally click it's gonna be great!

And then that Roni scene, I've had that planned out for a few days now. It was just getting some time to sit down and write it without being interrupted by someone or something since I really didn't want to mess up with the flow of writing it once I got into it. But I loved it! Even if I had to mess up Roni a bit in the process…

Anyways, I don't have much else to say this time around. Except to thank you all for the reviews and follows/favorites on the story! I always love and appreciate them!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

See you again once it's time for me to match another chapter! Or if I get hit by sudden inspiration! CHA!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson


End file.
